Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 25, 2015 - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Jer 31:7-9; Heb 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52]"What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. [Mark]
I have been following the proceedings of the Synod on the Family in Rome with a great deal of interest. Many of the pastoral challenges the bishops and Pope Francis have been wrestling with are challenges that I have had to confront in my years as a priest. I suspect that there are many in the Beloved Congregation who have also found themselves challenged by church teaching on some aspects of marriage and family life. I cannot help but think of them in reading today's gospel passage.
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, is like a persistent child at Mass who keeps tugging at a parent asking again and again, "What's happening up there?" The temptation for the parent is to say, "Shhhh! Jesus is up there!" Later on, that same small child may accompany the parent in the line to receive communion and ask, "Why can't I have one?"
Pope Francis has continually called the attention of the church to the blind beggar(s) who are calling out for Jesus' attention. The people surrounding Jesus in the scene today have only a rebuke to offer the beggar until they realize that Jesus does, indeed, want to respond to the beggar's faith. Ironically, they are "blind" to the beggar and only rebuke him until Jesus says, "Call him." Then we have Jesus' question, "What do you want me to do for you?" and the beggar's response, "Master, I want to see."
My hope is that the final document of the synod will not be a rebuke. My hope is that the synod will "see" the blind beggar. My hope is that the synod will say to all those who find themselves marginalized by marital and family woes, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." AMEN
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
106 ms
4
