Master, I want to See

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Master, I want to see

                            

It-30 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin B pp 498 

Reading 1                     

Jeremiah 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari

mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 31, 7-9

Dan igħid il-Mulej: Għannu bil-ferħ għal Ġakobb, sellmu lill-ewlieni  fost il-ġnus!  Xandru, faħħru u niedu:"Il-Mulej  salva l-poplu tiegħu, il-fdal ta' Israel!" Arawni, se nġibhom minn art it-tramuntana, niġborhom mil-ibgħad art, ilkoll kemm huma, l-għomja u z-zopop, in-nisa bit-tfal u n-nisa fil-ħlas; kotra  kbira terġa' lura  hawn. Jiġu bil-biki ;imma nfarraġhom jiena u nġibhom lura.   Immex xihom lejn ilma ġieri, minn mogħdijiet watja  biex ma jitfixlux.. Għax jien  missier għal Iżrael, u Efrajm hu ibni l-kbir." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm 

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

R. (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/

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/

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.                                                 R/

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.                                         R/

Salm Responsorjali                                                                                  

Salm 125 (126)

            R/  Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħna!

Meta l-Mulej reġġa' lura l-imjassra ta' Sijon,

konna qisna mitlufa f'ħolma;

imbagħad bid-daħk imtela fommna,

u  b'għajjat ta' ferħ ilsienna.                          R/

Imbagħad bdew igħidu fost il-ġnus;

"Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħhom!"

Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħna!

U aħna bil-ferħ imtlejna.                                R/ 

Biddel, Mulej, xortina,

bħall-widien ta' Neġeb!

Dawk li jiżirigħu fid-dmugħ

jaħsdu bl-għana ta' ferħ.                               R/

Huma sejrin, imorru  jibku,

Iġorru  iż-żerriegħa għaż-żrigħ.

Iżda huma u ġejjin  lura, jiġu b'għana ta' ferħ,

Iġorru l-qatet f'idejhom.                                 R/

Reading 2                     

Hebrew 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their epresentative 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari

mill-Ittra lil Lhud 5,1-6

Kull qassis il-kbir meħud minn  fost il-bnedmin, hu mqiegħed għall-bnedmin f'dak li għandu  x'jaqsam ma' Alla, biex joffri doni u sagrifiċċji għad-dnubiet. Hu dak li jista' jagħder 'il dawk li ma jafux u li jiżbaljaw, għax huwa mlibbes bid-dgħufija;   u  minħabba f'hekk  għandu joffri sagrifiċċji għad-dnubiet tiegħu ukoll, bħalma joffrihom għad-dnubiet tal-poplu. Ħadd ma għandu jieħu b'idejh dal-ġieħ għalih innifsu, imma biss min hu msejjaħ minn Alla, sewwasew  kif  kien imsejjajħ  Aron.  Għax hekk ukoll Kristu ma tax lilu  innifsu l-ġieħ li jkun qassis il-kbir, imma dan  tahulu Alla,  li qallu: "Ibni int; illum  jien nissiltek."U kif igħid ukoll band'oħra: 'Int qassis għal dejjem skond l-ordni ta' Melkisedek.' Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                            

Mark 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju

Qari skond San Mark.

F'dak iż-żmien,  waqt li Ġesu' kien ħiereġ minn Ġeriko, flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu u ma' kotra kbira ta'nies, kien hemm wieħed tallab agħma, jismu Bartilmew, bin Timew, bilqiegħda mal-ġenb tat-triq.  Dan, meta sama' li kien Ġesu' ta' Nazaret. qabad jgħajjat u jgħid "Ġesu',  bin David, ikollok ħniena minni!" Kien hemm ħafna li bdew jgħajtu miegħu biex jiskot imma hu aktar beda jgħajjat: "Bin David, ikollok ħniena minni!"  Ġesu' waqaf u qal:  "Sejħulu." Huma sejħu l-agħma u qalulu: "Agħmel il-qalb!  Qum, qiegħed isejjaħlek." Dak tajjar il-mantar minn fuqu, qabeż fuq riġlejħ u mar ħdejn Ġesu' . U Ġesu' kellmu u qallu:  "Xi  trid nagħmillek?" "Li nara, Rabbuni,"  wieġbu l-agħma.  U Ġesu': "Mur, il-fidi tiegħek fejqitek". U minnfih raġa' beda jara, u baqa' miexi warajh fit-triq. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Master, I Want to See!

A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Mark's healing stories of the blind man of Bethsaida (8:22-26) and the healing of Bartimaeus, the blind man on the road to Jericho (10:46-52), were undoubtedly popular stories in the early Church, and they remain very significant stories for the contemporary Church.

These miracles have always fascinated me because I grew up with my father, who was an eye doctor. How frequently we spoke about sight impairments, eye diseases, stigmatisms, cataracts, and 20/20 vision! My father was also a member of a charitable society that assisted the blind, and I remember vividly volunteering as a child with my father and his doctor colleagues who hosted memorable Christmas parties for blind people.

Road to Jericho

Mark tells the story of Jesus' encounter with Bartimaeus, a blind man and a beggar (10:46-52), in the Gospel for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Jesus had made the long, arduous journey down the desert valley from Galilee in the north. He was on his way to Jerusalem, a daunting climb from an oasis on the desert floor to the hills of Judea.

As Jesus passed through Jericho, Bartimaeus heard the din of the crowd and knew that the chance of a lifetime was within his grasp. Bartimaeus was not about to miss this opportunity! From the roadside, he began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Some people in Jesus' entourage were embarrassed to have this dirty, rude beggar bother the master, and they attempted to silence him.

What were they embarrassed about? Bartimaeus was simply trying to engage the culture around him and let the people know that he, too, had a right to see Jesus. If individuals in the crowd had heard the rumors about Jesus' healing powers, wouldn't they be kind to this poor beggar and bring him to Jesus for healing?  

Bartimaeus would not be denied - and neither would Jesus. As the shouts of the beggar reached his ears, Jesus brushed aside the restraints of his disciples and called to the blind man. Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and drew near to that welcoming voice, which responded to his pleas, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, that I may see." And Bartimaeus did see, not just with his eyes but, more importantly, with his heart. Though Bartimaeus was blind to many things, he clearly saw who Jesus is. Seeing "who Jesus is" is the goal of faith, and it leads to discipleship. At the end of the story, Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way. Given that the very next verse in Mark narrates the entry into Jerusalem, we can be certain that Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way to the cross.

Blindness metaphor

Compassion for the outcast was a hallmark of Jesus' ministry, and healing stories in the Gospels never seem to be simply a reversal of physical misfortune. In the stories of those who "once were blind, but now they see," the connections between seeing and believing are so strong that these miracles worked by Jesus are more about growing in faith than letting the scales of blindness fall away.

Disciples of Jesus have vision problems. How often do we use the metaphor of blindness to describe our inability to grasp the meaning of the suffering we endure? We sometimes describe our blindness as an inability to see the forest for the trees, but that is a rather simplistic analysis. More worrisome is the inherited blindness which so often assumes that there are no lessons left to learn. Arrogance is very often the root of our blindness. We need the miracle of restored sight each day.

What corners of the Church, of society, and of our culture need serious healing, restoration, and reformation in our time? Where are our blind spots? Where are the big problems with near-sightedness and far-sightedness? How often do we prefer monologue to dialogue, refusing to believe that we might learn from those who oppose us and disagree with us; refusing to engage the culture around us and preferring a narrow, obstinate and angry way of existing? How often do we say that there are no other ways to look at an issue than our way ... or the highway!

How often do we behave like those who tried to prevent Bartimaeus from seeing and meeting the Lord? Against the cries of the scoffers and cynics in our midst, do we dare to bring our friends, colleagues, and loved ones into the very presence of the Lord? How can we not, when we know the result of a lifetime without Christ?

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A Prayer for Sight

Origen (185-253)

May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes,   

As he did those of the blind.  

Then we shall begin to see in visible things. 

Those which are invisible. 

May He open our eyes to gaze not on present realities,  

But on the blessings to come.  

May he open the eyes of our heart to contemplate God in Spirit, 

Through Jesus Christ the Lord, To whom belong power and glory through all eternity.       

Amen.

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