Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jan 30 2025

Saving Faith

A saving faith is one that knows it needs a savior. Bartimaeus must have been told that Jesus was going by, so he begins to cry out, a true cry from the heart: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” The crowd rebukes him at first. Why are they telling him to be silent? Do they want him to save face, preserve his dignity? Or does he embarrass them, annoy them?

Bartimaeus is not interested in saving face, his or theirs. He has a saving faith that keeps him shouting. Though blind, he sees what he has to do to get a response from Jesus. An unambiguous cry for mercy, along with a special name, “Jesus, son of David.” It carries his prayer right into Jesus’ heart. He stops and calls the blind man over. The crowd now encourages Bartimaeus: “Take courage. Get up, Jesus is calling you.” A saving faith trumps saving face.

Then, in a gesture that speaks Bartimaeus’ faith as much as his words, he throws aside his cloak. This cloak is his greatest possession; he sits on it, begging all day, and wraps himself in it to sleep at night. He now leaves it and his past behind, going to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do?” Jesus asks. “Master, I want to see,” he says, already acknowledging himself a disciple of the “Master.” Jesus speaks: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Then, Mark’s perfect ending: “Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.”

Consider/Discuss

What does your faith allow you to see?
What do you still need to see in order to “follow Jesus on the way”?

Responding to the Word

Lord Jesus, you heard the cry of a blind man and answered his plea, giving him a new life with you. In our blindness, we sometimes fail to remember how near you always are. Remove any obstacles that prevent us from calling out, trusting in your mercy and love.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

The procession of returnees seems to be retracing the very path taken when the people were exiled to the land in the north. They had left their cherished homeland in tears, but they would return amid shouts of joy. Jeremiah states that only a remnant will return, and this remnant will consist of the most vulnerable of the people. It will include those who are blind or lame, who are mothers or who are pregnant, all people who are utterly dependent upon God. It will be through them that the nation will be restored. Restoration is a work of God, not of human endeavor.

Patterned after the model of Aaron, the prospective high priest must be able to empathize with the frailty of the people, and he must have been called by God. Jesus did not trace his ancestry to a priestly family, and there was no need for him to make sin offerings for himself. Therefore, his right to function as high priest had to be explained. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews does this by referring to him as Christ, and then reinterpreting two very familiar biblical passages that have messianic significance. Since both kings and priests were anoint ed, the title Christ, or “anointed one,” carries both royal and priestly connotations. To call Jesus by this title is to make a claim about his messianic identity.

The faith of the blind man in the Gospel is both demonstrated by his actions and explicitly recognized by Jesus. When he hears that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by him, he cries out to him using a title that has strong messianic connotations. Son of David identifies Jesus not only as a descendant of this royal figure, but also as the long-awaited one who was to fulfill both the religious and the political expectations of the people. The man who was blind already had eyes of faith and he acted on this faith, publicly proclaiming it.

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.

Jan 16 2025

Living in God

In an article on “successful aging” (New Theology Review, November, 2010), Dr. Lawrence M. Lenoir proposes that the art of giving and receiving love is at the heart of growing old gracefully. Research shows that being in a loving relationship quiets the demons of depression and despair. So, if you want to be healthy, be loving. Jesus would agree.

The rabbis of Jesus’ day argued about which was the greatest commandment of the six hundred thirteen in the Torah. When the Pharisees asked Jesus, he answered that what God wanted most from the chosen people who had been liberated from slavery and called to live in a covenantal relationship was a return of the love God showed to them. This love has two faces: loving God totally and loving one another as one loves oneself.

Loving is a contagious activity. If you are loved, you tend to be loving. Paul is sounding this note when he writes to the Thessalonians about how they became imitators of him and his fellow evangelizers Timothy and Silvanus, and of the Lord himself, receiving the word and living in faith, joy, and love for each other, because they believed in God’s love for them, revealed in Christ.

Our love must flow outward in compassionate generosity. The Lord called on Israel to show its love by not oppressing aliens, not wronging weak orphans and defenseless widows, and not extorting the poor by demanding interest on loans. No less is asked of those who have received the Holy Spirit and live in community with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s us. Love one another.

Consider/Discuss

What do you think God wants most from you?
Does anything prevent you from responding to God’s love with all your heart, soul, and mind?
Who is the neighbor who most needs your love at this time?

Responding to the Word

It is difficult to love, especially when we have been hurt by others. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring you the “fire of God’s love.” Call on the Spirit to deepen your awareness of God’s love for you, shown by giving us life and the gifts of faith, hope, and love.