30TH SUNDAY B

GESTURES OF HOPE

30th Sunday

What is the point in being a Christian, in following Jesus as Lord?  Today many people turn their backs on the faith of their younger years.  They question, rebel, and abandon their faith for another set of beliefs.  There are many also who look for answers to their religious longings by discovering other voices they belief will lead to enlightenment and fulfillment.

Today’s gospel (Mark 10) illustrates for us the value of a relationship with Jesus the Lord, of following Him and all throughout our lives.  This is a time in history when it is not fashionable for Catholics to stand up for the teachings and the values of Jesus, so it is great to look at Jesus through the eyes of one who experienced His power to save, the blind Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus had multiple handicaps.  He was blind and so was physically poor.  He was a beggar and so was socially an outcast.  He was truly a man of no importance.  His only hope was a possible liberation from his situation by a man who was passing by; a man whose name he knew, but one he never before met.

When Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus tried every beggar’s trick to attract his attention.  He shouted, addressing Jesus personally and reverently:  Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!  When ordered to stop, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus was always a busy person, always on the go.  He was in a hurry to accomplish things.  Moreover, he was surrounded by disciples, curious onlookers and needy people. They too, vied for his attention.  There were many more who wanted to speak to him, touch him, ask his blessings.  One feeble man’s voice must have drowned in the crowd of people around the Lord.

But Jesus stopped when he noticed Bartimaeus.  He was not just a beggar asking for help, not just a blind man hoping to be healed.  This time, the blind man was the center of Jesus’ world.  As they spoke to each other, Jesus restored Bartimaeus to health and social standing for He saw his faith.  From that time on, he became a follower of Jesus, the one who fulfilled his hope.

Here, we get a glimpse of the face of God in a gesture of kindness.  In Jesus, we see the God who desires to reach us in our misery, to speak to us personally, to listen to us, to restore us and make us whole again.  The miracle of healing happened but more than that, was the miracle of the gesture.  Jesus paid attention to a man who needed him most.

This is the point of being a Christian.  We proclaim a God who gives us hope by loving us personally and with great kindness.  As we experience Jesus, we too are challenged to multiply gestures of hope for others who need our kind attention and love. To be a Christian today is not about words or teachings but about actions like those of Jesus.  

THIS BLOG REJOICES WITH THE ENTIRE FILIPINO NATION IN CELEBRATING THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW CARDINAL, HIS EMINENCE LUIS ANTONIO G. TAGLE, ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA (shown in the photo below with his predecessor, Cardinal Gaudencio B. Rosales, DD, archbishop emeritus of Manila).