THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
(Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52)
Not long ago a song with a religious theme gained a lot of
attention. "All God’s Creatures " tells of the choir of animals
praising the creator. It goes: “All God’s creatures have a place in the choir;
some sing low and some sing higher.” The choir signifies the Church that
encompasses men and women from different walks of life. For the past three
Sundays we have heard in the gospel Jesus calling different types of people to
himself.
Two weeks ago Jesus recommended that the rich man leave his
money to the poor and follow him. Last Sunday Jesus allowed the two arrogant brothers,
called at the beginning of the gospel, to remain in his company despite their
scandalous request. Today Jesus calls the daring blind beggar Bartimaeus to his
presence. These men represent the range of people who inhabit the world.
Implicitly or explicitly, everyone is called to follow the Lord.
Jesus always calls the person with love. The gospel makes it
clear that Jesus looked at the rich man with love when he called him. To the
brothers Jesus showed his love by calmly explaining the ways of his kingdom.
Now Jesus shows mercy to the beggar when he hears him yelling his name. He has
love for us as well. He knows our troubles and our obligations. He wants to
help us overcome these challenges.
As good as Jesus is, we cannot fail to fall in love with
him. He becomes the goal of our life. This is what happens to Bartimaeus. After
receiving sight, he can do nothing but follow the Lord. The story reminds us of
a movie about the seven monks who were martyred in Algeria thirty years ago.
One of the monks was a doctor who had a dispensary for the townspeople in the
monastery. One day a Muslim girl asked him what it is like to fall in love. The
monk replied: “It is an attraction, a desire, a revival of the spirits, an
intensification of life itself.” The girl then asked him if he had ever fallen
in love. The monk replied that yes, a number of times. She continued
questioning: "Why did you never get married?" The man explained that
he found a greater love that led him to the monastery. Of course, the love that he found was Jesus.
However, it is not necessary that love for Jesus lead us to
a monastery. It can lead to a marriage with Christ as its center, or to a
single life dedicated to the good of others. Our love for Christ has different
forms, but each one is characterized by sacrifice and obedience to his
commands.
Falling in love with Jesus changes our perspective. We
rearrange our values. Instead of having wealth or importance as the goal of our
life, we put Jesus first. We act like Bartimaeus. Upon healing from blindness,
he does not return home to share the wonder he experienced with his family.
Much less does he stop to collect the coins that he has been given. He immediately
follows Jesus to Jerusalem.
Is it possible for us to fall in love with Jesus? Didn't he
live two thousand years ago? How can we even know him today? No, Jesus is alive
and dwells among us. We hear him at least weekly through the gospel that tells
us about his love. We see him in the poor who live with both humility and integrity.
Above all, we find him in the Bread of the Altar that strengthens us to overcome
life’s challenges.
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