30th Sunday – Oct 25, 2015

Jer 31:7-9; Heb 5: 1-6; Mk10:46-52   

There is a story, believed to be true, about Abraham Lincoln, just before the close of the Civil War. Landowners in the Deep South were cutting their losses, liquidating their slaves before slavery was banned, and President Lincoln came upon a slave auction in progress. A young girl was placed upon the auction block, in front of all the bidders and gawkers. With defiance and disdain, the woman scanned the crowd, daring someone to start the bidding. Lincoln did - and when he won the bid and took possession of the young woman, she was belligerent. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked. "I'm going to set you free," the president answered. "Set me free? What do you mean, 'Set me free?' Free for what?" Abraham Lincoln said, "Free. Free to do what you want to do. Free to go where you want to go." The astonished woman replied, "Then I choose to go with you." After a lifetime of yearning for freedom, the first thing this former slave chooses to do when she becomes free is to yield herself back under the authority of someone else. This is our call.       You and I are free; that's what Jesus said. May we use our freedom to be his servants in a dark and hurting world, and reflect his glorious light to remove the spiritual blindness and darkness around us! May this begin today

Introduction: The central theme of today’s readings is the overflowing mercy and kindness of a loving and forgiving God for His people. The first reading tells us how a forgiving and compassionate God healed the spiritual blindness of His Chosen People by subjecting them to captivity in Babylon and then liberated them, bringing them back to their homeland. The Jerusalem journey of Jesus in the company of the lame and the blind is the connection between the first reading and today's Gospel. The healing of the blind Bartimaeus in today’s Gospel is seen also as the fulfillment of the joyful prophecy of Jeremiah about the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon to their homeland.  Today’s second reading, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, presents Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sins and as the great High Priest. It identifies Jesus as the true High Priest of the New Testament. It also gives us the assurance that, as the High Priest, Jesus is sympathetic to us because He has shared our human nature.  Today’s Gospel explains how Jesus showed the mercy and compassion of his Heavenly Father by healing Bartimaeus, a blind man. Just as the blind and the lame were God’s concern in the first reading, Jesus was concerned with the blind beggar, Bartimaeus of Jericho.  On hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, Bartimaeus loudly expressed his trusting faith in the healing power of Jesus by shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." As Jesus invited him to come near, Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak (symbolizing perhaps the baptismal divesting). His   meeting with Jesus gave Bartimaeus the gift of spiritual as well as physical sight, and he became a disciple of Jesus.

First reading: Jer 31: 7-9 This reading, taken from the book of Jeremiah, tells us of the small number of people, "the remnant of Israel," who had survived the Assyrian captivity begun in 721 B.C.   Jeremiah uses this image to describe the coming return of the Babylonian captives as they will be led on their joyful journey home to Jerusalem. The passage foretells God’s promise to give His people life in all its fullness. Through their exile and suffering, the people had learned to humble themselves and turn to God with sincere repentance.  The returnees would include not only the healthy, but the blind, the lame, and the vulnerable.  Originally spiritually blind, the exiled Jews, through suffering, would receive spiritual sight, and they would express their gratitude to God by singing His glories on their way back to their city.  Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in the company of the lame and the blind connects this first reading with today's Gospel.  The Gospel highlights the actions of Bartimaeus which called healing from the heart of Jesus and prompted the now-seeing beggar to follow Jesus as a witnessing disciple.  The first reading, on the other hand, directs our attention to God's merciful actions: "delivering his people . . . bringing them back . . . gathering them . . . consoling them… guiding them . . . leading them." 

The second reading (Hebrews 5: 1): The reading describes Jesus as the High Priest of the new Covenant.  It likens him to the class of ancient priests, (sympathetic and patient, not glorifying himself), then distinguishes Jesus from the others (because the Father called Jesus his Son).  The people addressed in this letter had been put out of the synagogues when they accepted Jesus.  The writer of Hebrews tries to comfort them by depicting Jesus as a superior replacement for the priests upon whom they had formerly depended. The Jewish High Priest was a sinner like others, and his role was to offer sacrifices to God for himself and for the people as their representative. But Jesus was sinless; he offered himself as a sacrifice for all sin, and He continues to act as our mediator at “the throne of grace.” Further, Jesus, the Son of God, was appointed directly by God to an even better priesthood (“the order of Melchizedek” Ps 110:4). In his role, person and appointment, Jesus surpassed every High Priest in ancient Israel. Hence through Jesus, the true High Priest, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence and boldness, and we can expect mercy and favor from God.

Exegesis:   The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem through Jericho, an ancient city fifteen miles away from Jerusalem.  Jericho was the first city conquered by the Israelites when they entered Palestine. It was a city of great wealth and remarkable beauty, supporting many date palm plantations and fig trees.  Great numbers of merchants and Jewish priests made their homes in this pleasant city. The Mosaic Law required every Jewish male over the age of twelve and living within fifteen miles of Jerusalem to attend the Passover.  Those who, for one reason or another, were exempt from this obligation would often line the roads to Jerusalem to greet the crowds of pilgrims as they passed toward the city.  The Jewish rabbis on pilgrimage often taught religious lessons to the pilgrims on their journey.  Beggars also capitalized on the increased traffic through the city to beg for money.  One such beggar was the blind man known as Bartimaeus.

Jesus spots a particular blind man in the crowd: The story of Bartimaeus is the last healing miracle recorded in the Gospel of Mark.  The story is presented dramatically.  While the majority of those who received healing in the New Testament are not mentioned by name, in this case, the beggar’s name is given as Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus.  When the people told Bartimaeus the news of Jesus’ passage through the city, he began to shout his remarkable prayer of Faith: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd.  Amid the noise and dust, people were jostling for attention, and beggars cried out for alms.  In spite of this tumult, Jesus heard one voice crying out through the noise of the crowd.  Who would have expected a Messianic greeting from a blind beggar?  In spite of the crowd's objections, Jesus stopped and, recognizing Bartimaeus’ Faith, called the blind man over. In the Law of Moses, the blind are among those who are to be accorded protection in the name of God. Leviticus admonishes the Israelites not to “curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind.” In Deuteronomy those who lead the blind astray along the road are placed under the same curse as those who withhold justice from the alien, the orphan or the widowed. Psalm 146 proclaims that God gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down and loves the righteous.   

Bartimaeus’ response of trusting Faith: The people conveyed Jesus' invitation to Bartimaeus, who responded by jumping up and running to Jesus.  By addressing Jesus as Son of David, the beggar publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah.  At Jesus’ summons, Bartimaeus threw aside his long cloak, his only possession, which protected him from heat and cold.  In throwing away his cloak, he gave up everything he had depended on, putting his complete trust in God.  Jesus then asked, “What do you want me to do for you?"  Bartimaeus replied promptly: “Master, I want to see.”  Jesus rewarded his faith by restoring both his physical and his spiritual sight.   Having received physical and spiritual sight, Bartimaeus followed Jesus joyfully along the road.  The gift of sight led Bartimaeus to faith, and faith came to full expression in committed discipleship. He wanted to stay close to his Savior, to thank, praise, and serve Him.  Thus, today’s Gospel presents Bartimaeus as the model for us, in his prayer and in his wholehearted commitment to a discipleship that included, and still includes, rejection by those who refuse to believe.

Lessons of Christian discipleship: The section of Mark's Gospel that deals with discipleship (8:22-10:52), begins with the healing of a blind man (8:22-26), and concludes with the story of another blind man, Bartimaeus.  In between these two stories are three episodes in which the disciples are presented as blind to the meaning of Jesus' mission and of their own discipleship.  Their spiritual "blindness" is evident in their persistent misunderstanding.  The gradual coming to sight of the first blind man (8:22-26), stands in contrast to the story of Bartimaeus, who regains his vision at once and becomes a follower of Jesus.  The healing of the blind Bartimaeus contains four main elements of Christian discipleship: a) the correct recognition of Jesus as Lord and Savior ("Jesus, Son of David"); b) the acknowledgement of the need for Jesus’ help ("Have pity on me"; "I want to see"); c) ready response to Jesus' call ("He . . . came to Jesus"); and d) becoming Jesus’ disciple (" … followed him on the way").

 The Messianic implications: The healing of Bartimaeus has Messianic implications.  Jesus commended Bartimaeus because he had correctly understood that Jesus was the Son of David and the expected Messiah.  Referring to the coming of the Messiah, Isaiah wrote: "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped" (Isaiah 35:5; 29:18, 42:7).  The Church has taken the persistent prayer of Bartimaeus to heart.  The prayer “Kyrie eleison” ("Lord, have mercy"), appears frequently in the liturgy.  Bartimaeus’ prayer has also become the source of “the Jesus Prayer:”  “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.”  In its adapted form, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner," it has become a popular Christian prayer.  The Church advises us to repeat it frequently, in acknowledgement of our sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy.  Like Bartimaeus, we should recognize -- even in our blind moments -- the presence of Jesus.  We can trust in the power of Jesus to give us new visions and to strengthen us in our weakness.

Life messages: 1) Instead of remaining in spiritual blindness, let us pray for spiritual sight.  Each one of us suffers from spiritual blindness. Hence, we need the light of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us.  Anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, evil habits, etc., make us spiritually blind and prevent us from seeing the goodness in our neighbors and God’s presence in them. We are blind to a sense of justice when we refuse to pay our debts, or when we collect our wages though we have not done an honest day's work for that day's pay, or have cheated our employer by taking time or items that belong to the company.  We are blinded by greed when we are never satisfied with what we have and incur debts to buy luxury items.  Hence, let us pray to have a clear vision of Christian values and
priorities in our lives and to acknowledge the presence of God dwelling in ourselves and in our neighbors. A clear spiritual vision enables us to see the goodness in others, to express our appreciation for all that they have been doing for us, and to refrain from criticizing their performance. 

2) We need to "cry out" to Jesus, as Bartimaeus did.  Like Bartimaeus, we must seek Jesus with trust in his goodness and mercy.  Sometimes our fears, anger and habitual sins prevent us from approaching God in prayer.  At times, we even become angry with God when He seems slow in answering our prayers.  In these desperate moments, let us approach Jesus in prayer with trusting Faith as Bartimaeus did and listen carefully to the voice of Jesus asking us : "What do you want me to do for you?”  Let us tell Him all our heart’s intentions and needs.   

3) We need to have the courage of our convictions.  We need people who, like Bartimaeus, will refuse to be silenced by the secular leaders of our society.  We must make our politicians realize that our country is rejecting Christian principles and facing a loss of values.  A good example of this is the heated controversy over the First Amendment to the Constitution in the U.S.   The First Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  This is a simple statement of the right of an individual to follow his own conscience in worship.  Unfortunately, it is often interpreted by activist judges to mean that the expression of all religious ideas is forbidden by the government.  This is a far cry from the intention of the founding fathers.  James Madison (the primary author of the Constitution) said, "Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government….  We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves… according to the Ten Commandments of God."  Even Thomas Jefferson, who coined the phrase "separation of Church and State", wrote: "God gave us life and liberty.  Thus, the liberties of a nation cannot be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God, and that they are not to be violated but with His wrath.  Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."

In our parish office there hangs a modernistic picture composed of a maze of colors and shapes. I know these sophisticated, modern, and abstract pictures are supposed to contain some profound artistic or philosophical message, but I have never been able to figure it out. It just looks like a jumbled mass of confusion. If there is a message there, I am blind to it. One day while I was standing in the office, waiting for the copier to warm up, one of the parents came to the office with her kindergarten-age boy, Adam. After greeting me he looked at the picture for a minute and  said to me, "Do you see what I see?” "Do you see something in that picture? I sure don't." Adam looked at me with glee in his eye, "Father, can't you see him? It's Jesus hanging on the cross." I stared as hard as I could, until my eyes actually hurt from staring. I wanted to believe Adam, that there actually was the image of Jesus hanging on the cross hidden somewhere in that mass of color and shapes, but I couldn't see Jesus anywhere. "Adam, I'm sorry but I must be blind. You will have to help me see." Directing his finger to a mass of color in the center of the picture, Adam said, "There, Father. Do you see what I see? There is Jesus, his face, his arms outstretched on the cross." And then, like an epiphany, the image began to appear. Yes, there hidden somehow "behind" the colors and the shapes was the barely visible image of Jesus, hanging with arms outstretched on the cross. "It's amazing, Adam. You have helped one blind pastor to see Jesus. Yes, I can see what you see, Adam." A similar epiphany happens in today's Gospel.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Tony Kadavil)