Saturday, October 27, 2012

 

30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

OCTOBER 28, 2012
30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

Jer 31:7-9 / Heb 5:1-6 / Mk 10:46-52

JEREMIAH 31:7-9
For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say: "Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!" Look, I will bring them back from the land of the north, gather them from the ends of the earth, the lame and the blind, mothers and women in labor—a great throng will return. They went away weeping, they will return in joy. I will lead them by the streams of water, on a level path so that no one will stumble, for I am Israel's father and Ephraim is my firstborn.

HEBREWS 5:1-6
Every High Priest is taken from among mortals and appointed to be their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He is able to understand the ignorant and erring for he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he is bound to offer sacrifices for his sins as well as for the sins of the people. Besides, one does not presume to take this dignity, but takes it only when called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ become High Priest in taking upon himself this dignity, but it was given to him by the One who says: You are my son, I have begotten you today. And in another place: You are a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

MARK 10:46-52
They came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out, "Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!" Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying, "Take heart! Get up, he is calling you!" He immediately threw aside his cloak, jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said, "Master, let me see again!" And Jesus said to him, "Go your way, your faith has made you well." And immediately he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.

REFLECTION
In last week's Gospel, James and John said to Jesus: "We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." Jesus replied: "What do you wish me to do for you?" They asked for positions of power, even after they had been willing to be one with Jesus in all that he had to undergo. Jesus rejected their plea and told them that being a disciple meant being a servant of all.

Today's Gospel is similar in that we have Bartimaeus, a blind man who addresses Jesus: "Son of David, have pity on me." And when he is told to be quiet, he all the more shouts, "Son of David, have pity on me." Having heard him, Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you." He then responds: "I want to see." Immediately, his plea is granted.

These two instances echo the perennial question of whether God responds to our prayers. One is granted while the other is rejected. Why is this so? One can only conjecture why such results happened.

One significant detail though that we may pay attention to is that, prior to Jesus' reply, Bartimaeus throws aside his cloak. This is significant in that it suggests a total trust and confidence on the part of Bartimaeus that Jesus will do something for him. A cloak is his security blanket and all that he has to shield him from dust during the day and to keep warm in the evening. But with Jesus, he anticipates something more. By letting go, he puts himself in the most secure condition. With Jesus, everything else becomes secondary. Without such attachments, he becomes totally free to follow his Master.

It might be good today to imagine ourselves conversing with Jesus and hearing him tell us in a very personal way: "What do you want me to do for you?" Is there anything immediate and urgent that we would want our Lord to give us today? Or is there anything that we would want the Lord to bestow on someone we know is in dire need?

How do we, on our part, show evidence of our total trust in Jesus just like Bartimaeus did? What are we willing to let go as indication that we are confident that Jesus will grant our requests and desires? And if we cannot think of anything to seek from Jesus, we could just probably imbibe the prayer of Bartimaeus. We can likewise beg the Lord to make us see, as we know very well that we are enmeshed in so many issues and conflicts due to our lack of seeing or understanding. We can ask the Lord to grant us the wisdom to be able to discern well so that we are able to see what God, in turn, asks from us.

The story does not end with gratitude and joy on the part of Bartimaeus who receives his requested favor from God. It is time to respond, and the Gospel says that he follows Jesus. Bartimaeus treks the path of Jesus. Are we like that whenever we receive favors from our Lord? Is there any desire or resolve to follow Jesus? Or is Jesus simply a seasonal friend in that we only approach him when we have something to ask from him?

We end with a prayer: "Look, here I am, with all that I am; you understand who I am, more than I do myself. Make me as you want me to be, I long for your presence of love, of trust. Give me all that I need to live, through you."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Mon Torres
- Fleur Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
… for the personal intentions of
- Wilfredo L. De Leon
- Mary Wong
… In Memoriam: Dennis
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Rex Owen O. Lucena
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: John G. Tiong
- Birthday: Ma. Rosario P. Marin
- Birthday: Christian A. Ramirez
- Wedding Anniversary: Noemi & Samuel Co Chan
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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