20210527 BLIND DISCIPLESHIP
27 May, 2021, Thursday, 8th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ecclesiasticus 42:15-26 © |
The work of the Lord is full of his glory
I will remind you of the works of the Lord,
and tell of what I have seen.
By the words of the Lord his works come into being
and all creation obeys his will.
As the sun in shining looks on all things,
so the work of the Lord is full of his glory.
The Lord has not granted to the holy ones
to tell of all his marvels
which the Almighty Lord has solidly constructed
for the universe to stand firm in his glory.
He has fathomed the deep and the heart,
and seen into their devious ways;
for the Most High knows all the knowledge there is,
and has observed the signs of the times.
He declares what is past and what will be,
and uncovers the traces of hidden things.
Not a thought escapes him,
not a single word is hidden from him.
He has imposed an order on the magnificent works of his wisdom,
he is from everlasting to everlasting,
nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away,
he needs no one’s advice.
How desirable are all his works,
how dazzling to the eye!
They all live and last for ever,
whatever the circumstances all obey him.
All things go in pairs, by opposites,
and he has made nothing defective;
the one consolidates the excellence of the other,
who could ever be sated with gazing at his glory?
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 32(33):2-9 © |
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
By his word the heavens were made,
by the breath of his mouth all the stars.
He collects the waves of the ocean;
he stores up the depths of the sea.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
Let all the earth fear the Lord
all who live in the world revere him.
He spoke; and it came to be.
He commanded; it sprang into being.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 10:46-52 © |
Go; your faith has saved you
As Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbuni,’ the blind man said to him ‘Master, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road.
BLIND DISCIPLESHIP
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [SIRACH 42:15-26; Ps 33:2-9; Mk 10:46-52]
In the first reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, Sirach reminds us of the works of the Lord, telling us what he had seen. He was awed at the magnificent works of God in creation in constructing the universe. Many of us however might live in the world of nature but we seldom see the creation of God because we are blinded by our preoccupations with our worldly concerns and pursuits that we have no time to ponder the marvelous works of God in creation. And even if we do, we fail to recognize that He is the author of creation as St Paul wrote, “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.” (Rom 1:20f)
Indeed, this is true even for us who are Christians. We claim to know Jesus and have seen Him and yet in truth we have not. We are, as the gospel says, blind disciples of Christ. Pope Francis calls such disciples “showroom Christians.” We appear to be Christians but not in our lives, not in our hearts and in our minds. We appear to be His disciples but we do not know who we are following. We are Catholics because our friends are Catholics, or we were born into a Catholic family or community. We belong to that group of disciples and the larger crowd that were walking with Jesus as He left Jericho for Jerusalem. Cultural faith and nominal discipleship will bring us nowhere. But that is the case for most of us. We have a nominal and cultural faith in Christ, not a personal faith in Him.
Indeed, in presenting the healing of Blind Bartimaeus, the gospel wants to contrast the physical blindness of Bartimaeus with the spiritual blindness of the so-called disciples of Christ. Earlier on, the rich man wanted to follow Jesus but he was blinded by his attachment to his great wealth when the Lord told Him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Mk 10:21f) This was then followed by the episode where James and John, the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus for the privilege of being seated on His right and left hand when He came to His glory. (Mk 10:37)
We, too, are blinded by our pursuits of the things of this world, wealth and glory. We cannot see Jesus simply because we do not seek Jesus but the things that Jesus gives. Those who preach the prosperity gospel reduce Jesus to a dispensing machine, an investment to get rich. Many of us only come to Jesus to ask for things and when we have them, Jesus is quickly forgotten. No credit is given to Him but to ourselves for our hard work and ingenuity. We rely on ourselves. Jesus is but only a backup plan, in case went awry. We are not clear why we want to follow Jesus. We never ask why we want to follow Jesus, or be a Catholic or get baptized. We follow Him because our friends and loved ones are Catholic, or our spouse is a Catholic. This explains why we give up our faith easily.
Ironically, Bartimaeus, who was blind, was the only one who could hear Jesus clearly. Although he could not see Him, yet in the midst of the noise and chattering of the crowd, he could hear Jesus coming by Him. He was sitting at the side of the road and “when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.'” Truly, it takes a blind man, one who is shut off from the world, to hear the voice of God. When Bartimaeus shouted, it was because he heard the voice of God so loudly in his heart. He yearned for Jesus to heal him. So he cried out aloud without fear.
Often, we too cry out for God but the world would silence us, just as the crowd and the so-called disciples of our Lord sought to silence and discourage him. We read that “many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet.” This is what is happening today as well. Sometimes the irony is that the obstacles to find faith in Christ come not from the world but from our own kind, our family members, friends and the Catholic community. When we want to go to church for services or be involved in church activities, our family members and loved ones would discourage us and frown on us for being so fervent in our faith or wasting our time getting involved in the activities of the church. Often, we are ridiculed by our friends for being so “holy and pious.” They make fun of us and label us as if we are naïve and silly.
At times, so-called, church workers, priests and volunteers, prevent us from coming to Jesus through their abruptness and business-like dealings with parishioners, scolding them when they are late or when they ignorantly break some rules of the Church. Some reject our services and offer of assistance because they are cliquish. They think the Church is a clubhouse where exclusive membership is given only to some members. More so if you are not good enough, like Blind Bartimaeus. In some church communities, children with special needs are not tolerated. We want them to be isolated and placed in a corner. Better still if they do not come to church at all. The sick, the physically challenged, the elderly, and those not deemed to be in communion with the Church are also not made welcome.
That is why, to be a disciple of the Lord, we need to be thick-skinned, persistent and courageous, like Bartimaeus who would not allow obstacles, discouragement and ridicule to stop him from coming to the Lord. We must persevere like the Syro-phonecian woman who would not give up hope when Jesus initially appeared to be aloof and reluctant to meet her (Mk 7:24-30), or be like Jairus when he was mocked by the mourners thinking that Jesus could do nothing for his dead child. (Mk 5:35-43) Healing can only come to those who are persistent like the woman with hemorrhage. (Mk 5:25-34) We must not allow the world’s voices and even our Catholics to hinder us from coming to the Lord simply because they themselves are blind to their self-righteousness and narrow-mindedness.
We must also be intentional. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the question we need to ask ourselves sincerely. Why am I a Catholic? Why do I want to be baptized? The answer seems obvious but it is not. For the blind man, that question of our Lord seems redundant. But in truth it was not. Why did he want to see? Was he ready to pay the price of recovering his eyesight? When we are blind or sick, we can depend on others to look after us. But once we are well, we need to rely on ourselves and even to be of service to others. Indeed, this was what the Lord asked the rich man who sought eternal life, but at a minimum price. (Mk 10:17) Or the apostles of our Lord who sought for positions and power but not understanding what it meant to drink the cup of our Lord. So the question “What do you want me to do for you?” requires an honest and a definite answer.
Finally, we must take immediate action and not delay any longer. Bartimaeus did not hesitate to seek out our Lord for healing. He seized the opportunity and did not let the Lord pass him by. We too must also not delay in responding to the Lord’s invitation when He calls us. Indeed, one who hesitates is lost, and golden opportunities do not always come by. So like Bartimaeus, we must take the leap of faith, drop the cloak of false security, the cloak of sin and the securities of the world, unlike the rich man who could not give up his wealth. Jumping up, we come to the Lord, even if our knowledge of Him is inadequate like the Blind Beggar calling Him, “Son of David” in a political sense. Yet, the Lord will accept us and take us where we are. He will heal us. And when He heals us, we must be like Blind Bartimaeus, immediately follow after Him. We can no longer sit on the sidelines as a spectator or observer. We must in gratitude give our lives to Jesus and follow Him to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory. That was what the healed Bartimaeus did. We who have been healed must now in turn serve the Lord by bringing others to Him. This is discipleship!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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