October 24, 2021

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 149

Reading I

Jer 31:7-9

        Thus says the LORD:
    Shout with joy for Jacob,
        exult at the head of the nations;
        proclaim your praise and say:
    The LORD has delivered his people,
        the remnant of Israel.
    Behold, I will bring them back
        from the land of the north;
    I will gather them from the ends of the world,
        with the blind and the lame in their midst,
    the mothers and those with child;
        they shall return as an immense throng.
    They departed in tears,
        but I will console them and guide them;
    I will lead them to brooks of water,
        on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
    For I am a father to Israel,
        Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

1. (3)    The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
   When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
       we were like men dreaming.
   Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
       and our tongue with rejoicing.
   R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
   Then they said among the nations,
       "The LORD has done great things for them."
   The LORD has done great things for us;
       we are glad indeed.
   R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
   Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
       like the torrents in the southern desert.
   Those that sow in tears
       shall reap rejoicing.
   R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
   Although they go forth weeping,
       carrying the seed to be sown,
   They shall come back rejoicing,
       carrying their sheaves.
   R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading II

Heb 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
    You are my son:
        this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
    You are a priest forever
        according to the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia

Cf. 2 Tm 1:10

1. Alleluia, alleluia.
   Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
   and brought life to light through the Gospel.
   R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. 
Jesus said to him in reply, "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.

Reflection: YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL

The blind Bartimaeus invites us to share in his spiritual experience. We too are often blind because of our own pride, fear, and self-seeking glory or by being indifferent. With Bartimaeus, let us pray, “Lord, I want to see.' The first reading tells us how a forgiving and compassionate God has been healing the spiritual blindness of His Chosen People. The second reading presents Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for sins and the true High Priest. Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in the company of the lame and the blind connects the first reading to the gospel. The healing of the blind Bartimaeus is also seen as the fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecy. The healing of the blind Bartimaeus contains four main elements of Christian discipleship: the correct recognition of Jesus as Lord and Saviour; the acknowledgement of the need for Jesus' help; ready response to Jesus' call and becoming Jesus' disciple. Thus, today's Gospel presents Bartimaeus as the model for us, in his prayer and in his wholehearted commitment to discipleship. The Church has taken the persistent prayer of Bartimaeus to heart. The prayer "Lord, have mercy", appears frequently in the liturgy. It is a simple but profound prayer - a prayer that brings light and life. His physical blindness is healed and spiritual life is renewed. We read in today's gospel “Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” This is possible only because of the one-line simple prayer: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Like him, we should recognize the presence of Jesus. We can trust in the power of Jesus to give us new visions and to strengthen us in our weakness. In conclusion we take a couple of lessons from today's liturgy. Let us pray for spiritual sight. We may suffer from spiritual blindness. Anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, evil habits, etc., make us spiritually blind and prevent us from seeing the goodness in our neighbours and God's presence in them. Secondly, we may have trusting faith of Bartimaeus. Thirdly, we need to have the courage of our convictions to stand up and speak sometimes even loudly.