Homily on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 28/10/2018

Once upon a time the sun was able to make a conversation with the darkness and the sun shouted in a louder voice. Mr. Darkness! Come out of the cave and see some light and Mr. Darkness replied to the sun “no please I am just comfortable here in the cave. Then the sun insisted, please come out of the cave and see some light. Darkness insisted on remaining in the cave. The sun said, “Okay! Let me come in the cave. And the Sun entered the cave and darkness was no more.

What makes me blind that I cannot see the way of the Lord?

When Jesus met Bartimaeus there was no more blindness in him, his eyes opened and he could see. This happened because Bartimaeus had the courage to tell Jesus want he wanted.  During this week know your needs and tell your God what they are and as soon as he steps in into your darkness, it will immediately disappear.

 What needs restoring in my life? Where do I need courage to respond to God’s call to me? I need to be enlightened and repeat the prayer of Bartimaues “Master, Let me receive my sight”! (Mk10:51). Let me see my sin which holds me back from following your way.

Have some determination to make contact with the person of Jesus and he will dispel the darkness/blindness in you. That determination ids borne by faith like that of Bartimaeus who cannot be silenced by the crowd.

The question of Jesus ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ was a very personal question addressed to each of us personally, and how we answer it can reveal who we are and what we value. Earlier in Mark’s gospel Jesus asked the same question to James and John, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Their answer revealed a self-centered ambition, ‘Let us sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory?’ The blind man’s answer was altogether more straightforward. Aware of his blindness as a severe disability, he asked simply, ‘Master, let me see again.’ In answering his prayer, Jesus addressed him as a man of faith, ‘your faith has saved you.’ He was already seeing Jesus with the eyes of faith before he received back his physical sight. Once he received back his physical sight, he followed Jesus along the road. He immediately used his newly restored sight to walk after Jesus as a disciple up to the city of Jerusalem, where Jesus would be crucified. His faith had shaped his hearing and his speaking, and now it shaped the path he would take. We could do worse than take this man as a model of faith in our own lives. Like him we are blind beggars who need to keep on calling out to the Lord who passes by so that we can see him more clearly and follow him more nearly.

Remaining in the cave of darkness of sin we cannot follow the Lord in his path and we cannot have faith to save us. Bartimaaeus did not insist to remain in the cave of disability but he quickly knew want he needed, just to see.

Doubts make us blind and we insist on remaining with the status quo. Jealousy and greed make us blind that we don’t see how God want to bless us and follow him in the Church, small Christian communities and in our ministry.

Joy and Peace

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