Cycle B - Year I:  

24 October 2021: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 31:7-9

Second Reading:   Hebrews 5:1-6

Gospel:  Please Read  Mark 10:46-52 

"Master, I want to see!"

The light of a new day greets us as we wake up every morning. And so the gift of sight allows us to behold the beauty and greatness of God's creation.

Do you ever consider, what would it be if one day everything around us were dark and gloomy, no electricity and no natural light?  The answer is obvious... it would be the end of the world for most of us, or all of us. That is why we need to appreciate more the gift of sight, good health, and life's many blessings.

The Gospel incident this Sunday is an eye opener for many of God's blessings that we take for granted sometimes because they seem ordinary and routine already.

St. Mark tells us about Bartimaeus, a blind and destitute man, begging for a living by the roadside of Jericho.  Bartimaeus heard from the noisy crowd following Jesus that our Lord was passing by where he is.  He was determined to get near Jesus, for he knew who Jesus was and had heard of His fame for healing.  Being blind it took a lot of guts and persistence for Bartimaeus to get the attention of our Lord Jesus.

But it paid off in the end, when Jesus took notice and our Lord said to Bartimaeus: "Go your way; your faith has saved you."   And immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and followed our Lord.

This healing incident reveals something important about how God interacts with us.  Jesus was ready to empathize with Bartimaeus' suffering and also to relieve it as well. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who He is with the "eyes of faith" and so, He grants the blind man his physical sight.  Faith in Jesus is the force that transforms his person.

 

Like Bartimaeus, we have to go to the Light when darkness surrounds us and our soul is blind and restless.  With great faith in our Lord, let us shout, cry out ever more strongly, "Domine, ut videam!"  (Lord, that I may see!) And believe that daylight will dawn upon us, and we will be able to enjoy the brightness our Lord grants us.

The other point in our reflection is the healing of Bartimaeus' blindness itself. What is really worse, physical blindness, or moral and spiritual blindness?  There is moral and spiritual blindness when sin clouds the mind in darkness and closes our heart to God's love and truth, when we deliberately choose to disobey God's laws over material wealth and pleasure.

The Good News is that our Lord Jesus Christ is ready to heal us and free us from the darkness of sin and deception by the evil one through our sincere repentance.  For only in the light of God's truth can we see sin for what it really is, a rejection of God and opposition to His will.

Now, the same Jesus Christ who passed by Bartimaeus is alive today.  He walks into the dusty streets of our lives this very day. We simply need the eyes of living faith to see Him and the renewed heart to follow Him on the way.  And prayer is our fuel to keep our faith alive and keep our eyes open to see our Lord. He always shows up to those who have the spiritual eyes opened to see Him.

Today is also World Mission Sunday. Let us encourage all baptized Christians to help in the mission of the Church in spreading the Gospel by our prayers and material support.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!