20211024 TAKE COURAGE – BE A WITNESS
24 October, 2021, Sunday, 30th Week, Ordinary Time (Mission Sunday)
First reading | Jeremiah 31:7-9 © |
I will guide them by a smooth path where they will not stumble
The Lord says this:
Shout with joy for Jacob!
Hail the chief of nations!
Proclaim! Praise! Shout:
‘The Lord has saved his people,
the remnant of Israel!’
See, I will bring them back
from the land of the North
and gather them from the far ends of earth;
all of them: the blind and the lame,
women with child, women in labour:
a great company returning here.
They had left in tears,
I will comfort them as I lead them back;
I will guide them to streams of water,
by a smooth path where they will not stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my first-born son.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 125(126) © |
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Second reading | Hebrews 5:1-6 © |
'You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever'
Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.
Gospel Acclamation | 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!
Or: | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
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.
TAKE COURAGE – BE A WITNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Jer 31:7-9; Ps 126:1-6; Heb 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52]
Today, we celebrate Mission Sunday. We are living in a world where people face much discouragement because of loss of hope. Some have fallen into despair even before the Covid-19 Pandemic because of natural catastrophes, earthquakes, floods and drought. Now, due to the Pandemic, some feel depressed because of the loss of lives, especially of their loved ones, loss of job, winding down of businesses due to the social restrictions. Like the blind beggar in the gospel, we are also without a future, without direction, confused in a world of moral relativism, conflicting views, changing trends, tensions within society and world. With all the challenges facing family life and marriage, the world is looking for consolation and hope.
It is good to take note of the parallels with the request of James and John earlier on. Unlike James and John in the earlier incident (Mk 10:32-40), when Jesus asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mk 10:36, 51), they asked to be seated on the throne with Him and reign with Him. But Bartimaeus was not asking for glory and power. Sitting in the dust, he only wanted to see. This is amazing, for what would you think a blind beggar wants if not money? Whereas James and John sought for Jesus to bring them glory and power, Bartimaeus just sought for healing and to be able to see rightly. Indeed, Bartimaeus asked for what is truly essential in life, not riches or glory or power but to be able to see, to be healed not just of physical blindness but also spiritual blindness.
On Mission Sunday, we are called to give hope and direction to the world. When the Israelites were about to go on exile, Jeremiah gave them courage. He spoke of the hope for Israel even when the disasters were about to strike. Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people would be dragged into captivity in Babylon. Yet, Jeremiah could confidently proclaim that God would deliver the people. “The Lord says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout: The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel! For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born son.” God as the Father of Israel would never abandon Israel forever. Indeed, even the blind and the lame would be brought back.
In the gospel, when blind Bartimaeus cried out for mercy, “Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said, ‘get up; he is calling you.'” These are such beautiful words, “Take courage, and get on your feet.” These similar words were also uttered by the Prophet Isaiah to the Israelites. “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” (Isa 35:3-5) Indeed, Jesus has come to fulfil the promises made by God to His people. He comes with a special preferential option for the poor, the blind, the deaf and the disabled, both physically and spiritually.
The truth remains that Jesus is on our side as He was on the side of Bartimaeus. When he shouted at the top of his voice, he caught the attention of our Lord. This is why we must be thick-skinned, not allow the crowd, symbol of society to drown us and intimidate us in reaching out to Jesus. This requires us to be attentive to the Lord instead of listening to the noises of the world. The blind man was able to give full attention to the Lord and was alert when He passed by. Although physically blind, he could hear the voice of the Lord. Although blind, he was the only one who could recognize Jesus as the Son of David who was about to enter into Jerusalem to reclaim the throne of King David for the Jews.
In the second reading, we are told that Jesus is the High Priest who is identified with us in every way except sin. “Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness.” Jesus as our high priest understands us. “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:14-16)
How do we find courage to witness to Christ and give hope to the world? Bartimaeus articulates what every disciple of our Lord must desire, to be able to see so that we can follow Jesus in discipleship as he did after he was given back his sight. Such discipleship is given to anyone who in faith identifies with our Lord and follows Him in life. Even before he was healed, he already intuited something about the identity of Jesus for he cried out to Him, calling Him, “Son of David.” Ironically, Jesus denied the request of the apostles but granted the man’s request to be able to see again. Notable too, James and John approached Jesus when He was on the way to Jerusalem whereas Bartimaeus was sitting by the way. However, after being restored and with his eyes now opened, he followed Jesus and like the apostles, he gave up his old sinful way of life and abandoned all that he had, symbolized in the cloak which was his sole possession in the world. (Ex. 22:26-27; Deut. 24:12-13).
Discipleship requires witnessing. But we know that witnessing to the truth entails persecution and suffering. Even whilst we try to be faithful to our faith, we are confronted with opposition, discrimination and even our own loved ones and friends discourage us. The crowd told the blind man to shut up. Instead of bringing him to Jesus, they sought to remove him from our Lord. He was seen as a nuisance. And this is true for us as Christians when we proclaim the truth and the gospel. The world tries to drown us out and marginalize us. The world wants to secularize us so that we cannot feel His presence anymore or hear Him speaking to us.
Jesus reminded His apostles that discipleship also entails sharing in His suffering. However, Bartimaeus who was given back his sight was now going to Jerusalem to die with the Lord. There can be no glory without going to Jerusalem to suffer first with Him and then to share in His resurrection. This is why as disciples of our Lord, we must take courage as we persevere along the road to Calvary. Once we see Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then we can follow Him without fear or discouragement even when we face difficulties in life, in situations when we feel hopeless and helpless, or even when out of ignorance and weakness, we sin against the Lord. Jesus who is truly the Son of God and the Son of Man, our High Priest, not only forgives us and assures us of God’s mercy but He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. Faith in Jesus will be further strengthened once we receive the vision to recognize Him.
We must have faith in His mercy even when we fail or when we face obstacles in life. We must remain firm and strong when we are challenged in our faith. It was the faith of the blind man that saved him. Indeed, in Mark’s gospel, the affirmation of Jesus, “your faith has saved you” is mentioned only twice, the first time to the woman with a haemorrhage. Unlike the woman who was timid, Bartimaeus was courageous and persevering. And this was because he was intentional in coming to Jesus and in asking for what he wanted. Instead of succumbing to the crowd’s drowning voices, he shouted again and again, “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!” He came to Jesus seeking for mercy. Only with faith in our Lord, and having seen the truth, can we lead others to Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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