Sunday Gospel Reflection
Your faith has made you well

Introduction:

To See What Is Possible

How many "marvels" have you seen in your life? How have you been affected by these "marvels?"

Marvels and astonishing feats begin with a vision. Someone somewhere tilts his or her head in a different way and sees what was not seen before. The mind's eye pictures the impossible as possible. Ingenuity and hard work make the possible real and available.

Miracles also require a vision that makes the impossible possible. Unlike marvels or feats, miracles require a level of faith. Miracles require people to trust in a power greater than they possess. On a dusty road, a blind beggar saw with faith what was possible. And he reached out to One who could help him.

First Reading
Jeremiah 31:7-9

7 This is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, 'O LORD , save your people, the remnant of Israel.'
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

Second Reading
Hebrews 5:1-6

1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.
3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.[1] "[2]
6 And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."[3]

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimae'us, a blind beggar, the son of Timae'us, was sitting by the roadside.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49 And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you."
50 And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight."
52 And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Bible Study/Meditation

As adults we are more like the multitudes that followed Jesus than like Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was physically blind and he knew it, and he also knew that only God's mercy would be able to meet his need. The multitude was equally blind in a spiritual sense as they demonstrated later in Jesus' life and ministry by turning their back on him, and consenting to his crucifixion. But they were oblivious to who Jesus was and unaware of their spiritual blindness, not knowing their condition, and not humble and needy enough to plead for mercy. In a similar way, we also often stumble our way through life not recognizing our own blindness.

Jesus' response to Bartimaeus should give us great hope. Jesus stands out in great contrast to the many who surrounded him and blind Bartimaeus. They all heard Bartimaeus' cry and many responded with a verbal rebuke to be silent and to not disturb Jesus or them with his pitiful condition. Jesus on the other hand not only heard Bartimaeus with his ears, but he heard him with his heart. This is an important lesson, Jesus always hears us. Always! Jesus always will hear the lone voice
crying out for help in the crowd.

No doubt in all of his years of blindness, Bartimaeus had spent much time contemplating his condition. I doubt if he ever really expected to be healed of his blindness, but when Jesus passed by he must have realized that this person was different. His call for mercy this time was not the ordinary beggars cry for spare coins, but genuine awareness that this "prophet" was purported to really heal people. So out of his need he called out in faith and hope, "Son of David, have mercy one!" And we know the rest of the story.

Jesus is still asking us, "What do you want me to do for you?" In John's gospel Jesus says, "Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be complete." Do we believe that Jesus really wants us to ask? Do we believe that he really cares enough to answer? Do we care enough, to ask for the proper things and avoid the mistake of which James speaks in his epistle, asking and not receiving "because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures." I must confess it is easy to lose sight, if you'll pardon the pun, of who Jesus is and of who we are in him. It is easy to forget the privilege we have to bring our needs to him. As Francis de Sales explains in his Introduction to the Devout Life, Jesus is always present to hear our cry: "Although faith assures us of his presence, yet because we do not see him with our eyes we often forget about him and behave as if God were far distant from us. We really know that he is present in all things, but because we do not reflect on that fact we act as if we did not know it. This is why before praying we must always arouse our soul to explicit thought and consideration of God's presence...Therefore, when you prepare to pray you must say with you whole heart and in your heart, 'O my heart, my heart, God is truly here!'"

Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you?

. Human understanding can deepen and expand faith. We know that we believe. We want to know why. Faith and understanding work hand in hand to bring us closer to our Maker. But, faith needs to push the envelope of knowledge. For knowledge tells us what is possible. Faith tells us what is impossible. It is a vision of the impossible that brings us to God.
   ----How has God helped you see the impossible? How has God helped you do the impossible?

. Bartimaeus gave us an interesting example of conversion. Bold and persistent, the blind man could see the possibility Jesus offered, and risked social alienation for the result. But the result was far deeper that mere physical sight. Jesus offers us the same. At the risk of social standing, we, too, challenged to boldly ask and boldly receive change in our lives.
  ----What seems impossible in your life right now? If you could see that impossibility through God's eyes right now, what would you see? What would be possible in that impossible situation? Why would it be possible?

The blind man is not vague in his request to Jesus. He knows what he needs--to see. What do you need spiritually? Ask God to help you in your self-examination.

In the last Sunday's reading. Jesus asks the rich man to sell what he has and give to the poor. The rich man walks away sad, unwilling to do as Jesus asks. In the Gospel today, the blind man throws away what little he has. What is Jesus asking you to do in your daily life? Does your response resemble that of the blind man, or the rich man? What is your security, "my cloak?" Ask God for FAITH, to trust him.

.Do you recognize your need for God's healing grace and do you seek Jesus out, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy?

.Besides physical blindness what signs of blindness do you see in society? How do you respond to the blindness of others?

Prayer

Lord, may I never fail to recognize my need for your grace. Help me to take advantage of the opportunities you give me to seek your presence daily and to listen attentively to your word