See HomePage for ‘Mass Readings’ for this Sunday. The Gospel is from MARK 10:46-52.

Three blind mice?… Three blind men- and one who sees!

In just over two chapters, Mark shows us three blind men, and then a blind man who truly SEES. In today’s Gospel, just before Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for his Passion, he meets a blind man who truly SEES Jesus for who he is, and is healed by Jesus.

This healing of Bartimaeus, and the story of Bartimaeus’ faith in Jesus, the Son of David, is told by Mark as a contrast to the blindness of even the closest of the disciples of Jesus. Think back over the past few Sundays, from late Chapter 8 to the end of Chapter 10 of Mark.

1. Peter professes faith in Jesus the Christ,- then tries to dissuade Jesus from his Passion, so that Jesus said to him ‘Get behind me, Satan!’. Peter thought he saw, but in reality he couldn’t see Jesus properly.
2. After the Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John saw Jesus on the mountain, and after Jesus made a second prophecy about his passion, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the Greatest! They just didn’t get what Jesus was about, -they were blind.
3. Then, after the third prophecy of his passion, James and John immediately want to claim the thrones on the right and left of Jesus, when he would come into his ‘kingdom’. They still didn’t see what Jesus was about.

Then, we are told about BARTIMAEUS, the SON OF TIMAEUS, a blind begger. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by, he cried out on the top of his voice “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!’ Twice he called out, even as the whole crowd tried to shut him up. Jesus called him over, asked him what he wanted, and Bartimaeus pointed to his eyes,- he couldn’t see, and he wanted to. ‘Lord, that I may see again!’  And his faith in Jesus made him SEE again.

Peter, James, John were BLIND to who Jesus really was. The blind man could SEE who Jesus was, -the Son of David, the one who was come into the world.

And once he SAW who Jesus was, we are told that ‘he followed him along the way’,-  a key word here, because the early disciples were known as ‘the followers of the Way’, meaning Jesus.

And where did the road/ the Way lead Jesus, and possibly Bartimaeus?

The old road from Jericho up to Jerusalem,- 3,300 of a climb, over 37km.

Straight up the hill, for 20 miles, and for over 3,300feet of a climb, from Jericho (850 feet below sea-level), to Jerusalem (2,500 feet above sea-level), to where Jesus immediately began his time of passion which even the closest disciples just could not understand.

Where did Bartimaeus finish up? He became a disciple as soon as his eyes were opened.  What roads did his following of Jesus lead him on? Was he himself martyred later, for ‘following the Way’? We don’t know.

But the disciples of Jesus, for whom Mark wrote down this around 67AD, – they too were being invited to ‘follow Jesus along the Way’, or ‘follow Jesus, the Way’,- even as they knew that this Way was leading them very possibly towards having to give their lives, shed their blood, in order to stay faithful to Jesus, the Risen Crucified Lord. Mark wanted their eyes to be opened, their blindness to who Jesus truly was, removed.

‘Change the name, and the story is about you’ and me,- today. (Horace: ‘Quid rides? Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur.’)

Seamus Devitt C.Ss.R.

email: seamus.devitt@redemptorists.ie

 Footnote:

Jericho (Ariha in Arabic) is the oldest inhabited town in the world, dating back more than 10,000 years. It lies 260 meters (853 feet) below sea level, making it the lowest city on earth.

Jerusalem is approximately 750 metres above sea level, or nearly 2,500 feet.

From Jericho to Jerusalem is uphill for 3,300 feet, or just over 1000 metres. It is located 36 km east of Jerusalem, Known as the “City of Palms”, Jericho contains some of the world’s most important historic sites and is frequently mentioned in the Bible.  Go down another 140 metres to reach the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on the surface of the earth.

For miles around, arid hills eroded by wind form a silent moonscape that is at once eerie and beautiful.

Here we find two cities of great contrast. It seems that Bartimaeus took the road from one towards the other, with Jesus.

What happens if you deliberately put two stories back to back? You presume there is a strong connection between them. So, if St. Mark put two stories right beside each other, one following the other, what was his thinking? As well, he put two cities side by side, and why did he do this?

In the Gospel given for our reflection this weekend, we have Jesus entering and leaving the city of Jericho, and meeting blind Bartimaeus whom he heals. This is at the very end of Chapter 10, verses 46 to 52.

Then immediately after this, (in Mark 11, verse 1) Jesus and Bartimaeus and others walk all the way uphill to Jerusalem, where Jesus begins the week of his Passion. Bartimaeus ‘followed him along the road’, or the Way to his Passion.

Jericho is the lowest city on this planet, at 853 feet below sea-level (or 250 metres).  It is very close to the Dead Sea which is 400 metres below sea-level,- the lowest place on our planet.

On the other hand, Jerusalem is 2,500 feet, or 750 metres ABOVE sea-level.  Jesus and his disciples climbed up over 3300 feet in a stretch of just 20 miles (37 km.)  Immediately, we find Jesus on a donkey, about to enter Jerusalem and begin his Passion.

Three blind mice… three blind men!- and one who sees!  In just over two chapters, Mark shows us three blind men, and then a blind man who truly SEES. In today’s Gospel, just before Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for his Passion, he meets a blind man who truly SEES Jesus for who he is, and is healed by Jesus.

This healing of Bartimaeus, and the story of Bartimaeus’ faith in Jesus, the Son of David, is told by Mark as a contrast to the blindness of even the closest of the disciples of Jesus. Think back over the past few Sundays, from late Chapter 8 to the end of Chapter 10 of Mark.

1. Peter professes faith in Jesus the Christ,- then tries to dissuade Jesus from his Passion, so that Jesus said to him ‘Get behind me, Satan!’. Peter thought he saw, but in reality he couldn’t see Jesus properly.
2. After the Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John saw Jesus on the mountain, and after Jesus made a second prophecy about his passion, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the Greatest! They just didn’t get what Jesus was about, -they were blind.
3. Then, after the third prophecy of his passion, James and John immediately want to claim the thrones on the right and left of Jesus, when he would come into his ‘kingdom’. They still didn’t see what Jesus was about.

Then, we are told about BARTIMAEUS, the SON OF TIMAEUS, a blind begger. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by, he cried out on the top of his voice “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!’ Twice he called out, even as the whole crowd tried to shut him up. Jesus called him over, asked him what he wanted, and Bartimaeus pointed to his eyes,- he couldn’t see, and he wanted to. And his faith in Jesus made him SEE again.

Peter, James, John were BLIND to who Jesus really was. The blind man could SEE who Jesus was, -the Son of David, the one who was come into the world.

And once he SAW who Jesus was, we are told that ‘he followed him along the way’,-  a key word here, because the early disciples were known as ‘the followers of the Way’, meaning Jesus.

And where did the road/ the Way lead him? Straight up the hill, for 20 miles, and for over 3,300feet of a climb, from Jericho (850 feet below sea-level, to 2,500 feet above sea-level), to where Jesus began his time of passion which the disciples just could not understand.

Where did Bartimaeus finish up? He became a disciple as soon as his eyes were opened.  What roads did his following of Jesus lead him on? Was he himself martyred later, for ‘following the Way’? We don’t know.

Change the name, and the story is about you and me. (Horace: ‘Quid rides? Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur.’)

Jericho (Ariha in Arabic) is the oldest inhabited town in the world, dating back more than 10,000 years. It lies 260 meters (853 feet) below sea level, making it the lowest city on earth.

Jerusalem is approximately 750 metres above sea level, or nearly 2,500 feet.

From Jericho to Jerusalem is uphill for 3,300 feet, or just over 1000 metres. It is located 36 km east of Jerusalem, Known as the “City of Palms”, Jericho contains some of the world’s most important historic sites and is frequently mentioned in the Bible.  Go down another 140 metres to reach the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on the surface of the earth.

For miles around, arid hills eroded by wind form a silent moonscape that is at once eerie and beautiful.

Here we find two cities of great contrast.

Reflection:

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: OCTOBER 28, 2012

(See Homepage for Mass Readings for this Sunday)

Dear Sinead and Mark,

Did you ever find yourselves, either of you, ‘at a dead end’,- feeling lost, wondering what direction to go in, feeling worthless and unwanted, feeling that you are missing out on life, that others all around you are having a great time while you are just stuck. You wished you could see more clearly what life is about, or what is right for you, what road to follow?  Ever feel like this, at times in your lives?

Well, come and meet someone who must have felt all of the above, and more. He’s a character I love, and his name is Bar-Timaeus, or Son of Timaeus, and he lived way down in the old city of Jericho,- just near the Dead Sea, way below sea-level.

He’s blind. He’s a begger. He’s a reject. And he’s poor. He tries to make ends meet by sitting at the edge of town, hoping for something from the passers by, going into or out of the town.

A crowd is passing. Lots of people. Lots of noise. He overhears someone say that Jesus, the man from Nazareth, was passing by. He had heard of this Jesus. So Bart begins to shout out, from where he is seated on the ground, ‘Son of David! Jesus! Have pity on me!’  The bystanders tried to hush him up, ‘Be quiet!’, but he shouted even louder ‘Son of David, have pity on me!’ (Read the story for yourself in the Gospel today, Mark 10) But the next bit is the bit I love. Jesus hears the shout, over all the din, and stops. ‘Tell him to come to me!’ said the Master,- notice he didn’t go over  to Bartimaeus. ‘Tell him to come to me!’

So they went over to Bart and told him that the Master wanted him. What did Bart do next? We are told that he did three things,- he threw off the old cloak that he had around him for years: he jumped up: and he went to Jesus. When he heard the call, he threw off his past, he jumped up with joy, and he went towards the One he had been ‘looking’ for

What does Jesus do? He asks Bart what he wanted him, Jesus, to do for him! As if he couldn’t see clearly that the man was blind. He wanted Bart to tell him what he was looking for. So Bart pointed to his useless eyes, and simply said to Jesus,- ‘Master, that I may see!’ ‘These eyes are not working!,- and I want to see.’ He told Jesus what he wanted from Jesus. Jesus waited for this, and then responded.

‘Your faith has healed you’ said Jesus. And Bart could see, at long last. He looked around, saw faces, saw trees, saw the hills going up to Jerusalem, saw his own hands, saw colour, and then looked and saw Jesus. Saw his eyes and face and love for him, saw his own wonderful reflection in the eyes of the Master.  And that’s when his eyes were really opened.

What did he do next? We are told ‘he followed Jesus along the Way’ or along the road (the same word). That, for those early Christians, was code word for following Jesus: they were known early on as The Followers of the Way,- and Jesus had said (in John 14) “I AM THE WAY’.

There’s a short 4-line song from some years ago: ‘Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by: / You will find He’s not too busy to hear your heart’s cry. /  He is passing by this moment, your needs to supply. / Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.’

When you call out to him, you hear him calling out to you.

When you hear his voice calling you, you throw off the old that you have been clinging to for years.

You jump up, full of expectation and joy.

You make your way to Jesus, who is waiting for you, also full of joy.

You point out the areas of your life and heart that need fixing, healing.

He heals what you ask him to heal,- maybe over a period of being with him.

You look deeply into his face, and then you answer his quiet invite to ‘follow him along the Way’

Mark, Sinead, can you hear him calling you? If he’s passing by, are you calling him? Wonderful things begin to happen when you hear each other’s call.

I hope this is food for your soul, to feed you during the coming week. It’s certainly food for me, and ‘I’m lovin’ it!’

God bliss you and bless you! Can we be praying for each other? Thanks!

Fr. Seamus.

P.S. Halloween is coming up on Wednesday. The ‘hallowed e’en’ or evening, that sacred evening before the Feast of all Saints, November 1st- and that’s the feast for you and all the wonderful and kindly people of the world. Saints are just sinners in whom God is still doing his work, in this life. So, enjoy your own Feast, this Thursday. ‘The mystery you celebrate is the mystery of yourselves!’ said Augustine long ago, about the Eucharist.

And Friday is the Feast of All Souls, Nov. 2nd, – when we pray for our loved ones who have died and who may need our prayers. ‘Sure don’t they need us, and won’t we need them!’ said a very old lady to me once.