Year B

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

As the Lamb breaks open the seals on the scroll, the world enters a prelude to the final divine judgment, in which those who have been faithful to God will receive their reward. In preparation for that judgment, an angel comes forth to sign and protect the saved from the impending disaster. The number 144,000 (twelve squared times one thousand) is symbolic of the saved of Israel, which is joined by a vast multitude from all the nations. The focus in Revelation is on those who have suffered for their faith, thus the imagery of white robes and palms that has become associated with martyrs. Those who have been saved offer eternal worship to the God and the Lamb who have saved them.

The central theme of the First Letter of John is the reciprocal love of God for humans, love of humans for God, and love of humans for one another. The love of God, which is primary, has been made manifest in Christ. Those who accept this love will love in return through obedience to God and care for neighbor. This love is what allows us to abide in God and in Christ, which in turn perfects us and makes us children of God. This is the unimaginable promise of what is to come. But, in addition to abiding in Christ, believers must also be wary of the “world,” that social reality that is hostile to God and which constantly seeks to draw us away from God.

Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus presents the fundamental themes of his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Portrayed as the “new Moses” in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus stands as the definitive interpreter of the Law and of God’s will. The Beatitudes are a classic wisdom form, in which the ways of the righteous are laid out for those who would be “blessed” (or “happy”). Jesus’ version of this wisdom theme signals that his teaching and his ministry will focus less on perfection of religious observance (which one might mistakenly consider the equivalent of being “righteous”), and more on qualities associated with humility, vulnerability, and openness to God’s will and action in their lives.

Jan 29 2025

Someone Is Listening

The young man was an atheist, born of Russian parents. He had never prayed before. He had only walked into a church once, on a visit to Europe. A sincere young man, he was open to participating in prayer class, at least to try it. He had a Catholic girlfriend and he wanted to understand. As a tennis player, he had learned mindfulness to stay focused. After five weeks, he had an “Aha!” moment: “In prayer, there is Someone to call on,” he said. In mindfulness, all he had was himself.

A woman in the same class was teaching mindfulness to men in prison. She said that they didn’t like it at all. When she suggested that they turn inward and draw upon their inner strength, one man objected, “There is nothing inside of me that I want to bring up!” His life was not what he wanted it to be. He wanted to pray. He wanted Someone to turn to who could help him.

After the Second Vatican Council, there was a deliberate abandonment of the word “Lord.” (The Council itself did not speak about this matter.) And yet at the heart of our faith and the Jewish faith is the Shema. Notice that Jesus did not set it aside: “The Lord our God is Lord alone.”

Once when teaching twelve-year-olds in religious education, I asked them what the word “Lord” meant. They got blank looks on their faces. Then one said, “I heard it in a video game once somewhere.”

An earlier generation may have gotten an over-abundance of God as detached authority and thus deliberately set “Lordship” aside. As a result, a younger generation floats on shifting ground, rudderless and prone to anxiety, for there is no one in charge; everything is up for grabs. What one generation knows as a solid groundwork from childhood, another generation has never known. All they have is themselves. And that seems not to suffice.

Consider/Discuss

What emotions are evoked within you when you hear “The Lord our God is Lord alone”? Is the Lordship of God an oppressive feeling of an authority who weighs you down? Do you want to delete the word “Lord” from this reflection and Christian usage? Or are you looking for a benevolent Someone to turn to in a shifting world, Someone who holds you up in times of trouble? The generational divide in the Church rests on this theological difference. Why can we not talk about it? How might you explore the experience (and thus the perspective) of someone on the other side of the issue?
Do we have Someone to turn to? Can we assume that others have that same inner assurance? What would life be like if there were no foundation of faith? Imagine yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord our God, I offer to you my whole heart and soul and mind and strength. I turn to you. I cannot do this on my own. Be my center. Be my source. Be my goal. Let me not take you for granted. You have asked me to have no other gods before you. Give me the grace to love you with all my heart, all my understanding, and all my strength. And in that strength and by your grace, help me to love my neighbor as myself. Let the assurance of your care and your protection wash over me always.

Jan 29 2025

Scripture Study for

This passage from Deuteronomy ends with the famous Shema (“Hear!”), in which Moses exhorts the people to loyalty to God alone. In the context of the covenant relationship, to “love” means this fidelity, as expressed in obedience to God’s will in the commandments. Relationship with God leads to happiness and a good life. This “love” of God, however, should not be construed in a legalistic sense, in which the commandments are simply obeyed. Rather, what God wants is wholehearted, single-minded, and total commitment—not to the commandments, but to God. Just as God has been completely committed to Israel, so Israel is called to be completely committed to God. The focus here is not on laws, but on relationship.

The author of Hebrews has been expanding on the identity of Jesus as the eternal High Priest, who replaces the older system of Aaronic (or levitical) high priests. These priests “were many” for the obvious reason that they grew old and died. But because Jesus lives forever, he is able to fulfill this office perpetually, always there to intercede for the believer. The quality of his intercession also cannot be diminished: he is not a sinner who needs to offer sacrifice for himself. Nevertheless, he has offered one perfect sacrifice of himself for those who do need it. He is thus the perpetual and perfect High Priest and intercessor for humanity.

We know from many sources that the question of how to sum up the Law, the “greatest commandment,” was widely discussed in Jewish circles in the first century. In response to the scribe’s question today, Jesus gives what would have been a well-accepted response, combining two commandments into one, indicating that it is impossible to observe one without the other. The scribe develops what Jesus says, adding that love of God is more important that even animal sacrifices to God. Loving God is the highest priority; one cannot substitute animal sacrifices or other religious behaviors (such as fasting or ritual washing). These are less than worthless if one does not love God and neighbor.

Jan 28 2025

Mercy > Misery

It was hard to be the wife of a blind man. The women mocked me. But they were invisible to their sighted husbands, who were rough with them. Bartimaeus’ touch grew gentler as the darkness descended upon his eyes. As the old mothers say, do not weep for me, weep for yourselves. I am blessed.

Early that day, I guided him to his spot. He liked to find his place before the day began; crowds were hard to navigate. But without sight, his other senses were strong. He was alert to tone of voice, attentive to movement. He could taste goodness, he could smell lies. He was as brilliant as his honored father Timaeus, but even more perceptive. But he was just another blind man to most. I helped him sit. His lips began again to pray the psalms of David.

I turned to go back to the children. He touched my forearm, “Wait!” He sensed something coming. “Wait!” He trembled with excitement.

The crowd drew near. He shouted out, “Son of David, have pity on me!” His voice echoed above the somber crowd. “Hush,” they told him. “Hush!” I told him. He would not stop shouting.

I did not hear the words spoken, but suddenly the crowd parted as though to open the banks of a river.

Bartimaeus later told me that he sensed love rushing toward him, like spring waters flooding into the empty rivers of the southern desert. He tossed me his cloak and rushed off. I didn’t see what happened. The crowds passed. Bartimaeus stood alone on the road facing away from me. I crept near. He sensed me. He turned. His eyes peered into my eyes for the first time in fifteen years. He caressed my cheek. “I always knew that you were still beautiful,” he whispered. Then he ran after the crowd, shouting to all, “Come! Meet Jesus! Your life will never be the same!”

I am so very blessed.

Consider/Discuss

Jesus’ tender mercy floods in upon our misery. Yet we may not see it. The literal Greek words of Bartimaeus’s request are “That I might recover my sight.” Have we at one time “seen” that flood of mercy? Have we forgotten? Gone blind? Taken it for granted? Share a story of a time when you once experienced mercy.
Bartimaeus was thrilled to be set free from his blindness. That same jubilation is expressed in today’s reading from Jeremiah. The Jews are delivered from bondage, set free from captivity. What one little thing might the Holy Spirit inspire you to do today that will set someone free, that will lessen someone’s misery through your act of mercy?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, we do not always see your compassion, especially when we are weighed down with troubles. On this autumn day, reveal to us your presence in everyday life. Flow upon us like a river in the desert, calling out, “Look, here I am!” Open our eyes. Make our touch tender and our words reverent, especially for those close to us. Jesus, have mercy on us and help us to be merciful like you.

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

The first part of the book of Jeremiah focuses on the impending judgment on Judah and Jerusalem for their persistent, serious violations of the covenant relationship with God. Despite opposition from others who claim to speak for God, Jeremiah is proved right when Babylon destroys the city and exiles many of the people to “the land of the north.” Yet the prophet insists that judgment is not the final word. In a classic oracle of salvation, the people are told to exult in their future redemption and return to the Promised Land. The blind and the lame—the weakest of the remnant—will be brought back, too. The final verse emphasizes God’s enduring love for Israel, God’s “first-born” child. Not even years of infidelity can erase this primary relationship between God and Israel.

The author of Hebrews continues to develop the theme of Jesus as the eternal High Priest. In the past, a mere human represented all of Israel before God in cultic worship, offering—among other things—sacrifices for sin. Being sinful himself, the high priest was not separate from the rest of Israel, but a part of them and also in need of forgiveness. According to divine law, high priests had to be from the line of Aaron; no one could arrogate to himself this role. In the same way, Christ did not take upon himself the role of eternal High Priest, but was chosen by God, who acknowledged him as Son and Priest.

Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus’s cry, addressing Jesus as “son of David,” indicates that he believes Jesus to be the Davidic Messiah whom God would send to reestablish God’s reign. It’s not clear why the others tell him to be silent, but this does to deter him, another sign of his faith. In his affirmation of Jesus’ identity as Messiah, in his persistence in seeking healing, and in his immediate and enthusiastic response to Jesus when he is called, the blind man shows all the hallmarks of a good disciple, and thus is open to the salvation that Jesus offers.