The Blind Beggar Bartimaeus, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that “the Good Shepard . . . calls his own sheep by name” (see John 10:1-21). With this in mind, today’s Gospel presents us with the story of the “blind beggar named Bartimaeus” (see Mark 10:46-52). The “name” given to this blind beggar is very interesting to me because the word really was not a bona fide name at all, but rather was a description of who he was. “Bartimaeus” simply meant “the son of Timaeus” (see verse 46).

     In Biblical times, many “people on the fringe” were thought to have had very little or no value at all as members of society, and like the blind beggar of today’s Gospel were essentially “nameless” to others. These would have included those who were sickened, crippled, blinded, possessed, impoverished, widowed and/or orphaned (just to mention a few). It was thought that many, if not all of those people, were stricken as such because of their sins, or because of the sins of their parents or relatives. It was believed as well that such “sinners” deserved little, if any, favor with God, and certainly why those who were in contrast regarded as “the righteous ones” deprived them of the dignity of being respectfully called “by name.” Those “sinners” therefore, the most marginalized of society, were completely shunned, discriminated against, and even treated with “holy contempt.” 

    Let’s not miss the subtle irony then presented by the blind man’s “name” given in today’s Gospel account! For those who actually witnessed this event, and for those who first heard about it in the earliest days of the church, even the “non-name” given to “Bartimaues” would have further underscored and highlighted his “worthlessness.” 

     According to Mark, “on hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, ‘Bartimaeus’ 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’” (see verses 47-48). The people in the crowd, undoubtedly many of them “religious people,” must have felt justified as they tried to silence this “sinner” who cried out to Jesus. But the radical Jesus introduced to faith filled people a whole new way of thinking about and affirming the dignity of every single human being, even those previously thought to be unworthy of God’s love. 

     In response to “Bartimaeus,” and as with so many others who begged him for forgiveness, Jesus demonstrated a different way of treating “sinners.” Jesus was merciful, he was patient, he was loving and he was kind. Jesus looked into the eyes and into the hearts of those who were bowed down; Jesus lifted them up and called them by name, and he assured them they were loved by God! Jesus rejected attitudes that negated the value and dignity of other human beings, especially when those others were marginalized and essentially rendered as “nameless.” Instead, Jesus forgave those who were thought to have been “sinners,” he welcomed the outcasts, the marginalized and the scorned. 

     It’s no surprise to me then that when “Bartimaeus” called out to Jesus with faith and persistence, Jesus immediately cured him and gave him sight. Therefore, let us model our behavior towards others after Jesus who reached out those who were thought to be sinful and unworthy, and like Jesus may we value and cherish all of the people with whom we come into contact every day of our lives. Like “Bartimaeus,” may we also have faith and always believe that we are forgiven and precious in God’s eyes, and may we know that because of his great love for us, our God calls each one of us “by name.”

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Jesus, the Perfect Servant, the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus came “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (see Mark 10:45).  As faithful followers of Jesus, we are therefore called to take upon ourselves the identities and attitudes of “servants.” The Gospel clearly tells us that if we want to be “great” then we must place our lives in the service of others.

     As we contemplate this, it may be helpful to think about the sacrifices and contributions to our society that “modern-day servants” make for all of us. Although an actual list of the jobs done by such people is probably nearly endless, I believe there are many types of work that can be regarded as contemporary examples of this, and I think those who very responsibly take on these jobs clearly exemplify lives of service. Let’s consider the great, and often thankless duties of nurses and hospital orderlies, maintenance personnel, housemaids, cooks, teachers and child care providers, parking attendants, commercial drivers, construction workers, sales associates and cashiers, secretaries, security guards and even firefighters and police officers (just to name a few). We might also ponder the way such people, especially those who remain forever dedicated and dutiful, are often denied the proper respect and admiration they ought to be rightly given!

     As I thought about this, a good friend who works for the New York City Department of Sanitation came to mind. When I was a youth, if I had aspired to be a “trash man” I might have been ridiculed by my family and friends; they might have told me that such work was undignified, or that it was only for those incapable of doing anything else. Certainly, the value of such work and service to society would have been negated by those who might have encouraged me to aspire to something “greater.” Now that I have a perspective on the dedicated life of public service done by my friend the sanitation worker, I know for sure that the possible advice my friends and family might have given would have been completely misdirected. Such work in service to others is in fact very dignified, not for the fainthearted, and certainly worthy of great respect and admiration. I now have no doubt that sanitation workers, and so many other types of “modern-day servants,” form a most critical and very necessary layer of the system we call “human society.” What they do is truly “great!” And where would we all be without them?  Because of the work my friend the sanitation worker tirelessly does for others, I believe he is truly a hero in our society, and this can also be said about so many others who are our “modern-day servants!”

      Not all of us may have the privilege of holding such service related jobs, but Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that our attitudes must be one with theirs. He says: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant . . .whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all . . . for the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (see Mark 10:43-45).

     As Christians, may we always be grateful to those faithful “modern-day servants” who so clearly demonstrate the very mind and disposition of Jesus! May we follow the example of their humble attitudes, especially in the manner in which we share their desire to give complete and loving service toward others. Let us encourage each other with this goal, and may we always desire to serve rather than to be served. May Jesus, the perfect servant, continue to inspire and nourish all of us in our lives of faith.  

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Rich Young Man, the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

 

     I wonder if today’s Gospel story simply challenges or criticizes wealthy people who value their riches more than spiritual things?  Perhaps.  It does present us with an account of a rich young man who, although asked to give up his possessions in order to follow Jesus, was unable to do so (see Mark 10:17-30).

 

   Even though the rich young man had strictly observed all of the Ten Commandments during the course of his life, Jesus told him there was still more he was called to do. I think Jesus challenged him to make a deeper faith commitment that involved the total surrender of not really just his possessions, but actually his heart and his will as well. The young man’s failure to do as Jesus asked might be symbolic of all of those struggles we too may have as we try to overcome our own selfish temptations.
 
    I believe the message of today’s Gospel can challenge us to think about those things in our own lives that might occupy too much of our attention, our hopes and our desires. We might ask: Are there things upon which we might be tempted to place more value than for God or for his people? And does being distracted by these things indeed cause us to be insufficiently dedicated to the very noble and the many responsibilities and attitudes that our faith places upon us?

 

     And so, what are those things in our lives that possibly control us and upon which we might place too much value? Using the “seven deadly sins” as a guide, a few things on this list perhaps might be as follows: uncontrolled and selfish desire for physical pleasure, inability to maintain a healthy diet of food and nutrition, constant craving for power, money and/or prestige, lethargic and/or lazy approaches to responsibilities at work or school, over-exaggerated feelings of anger when struggling with the challenges of life or when dealing with perceived faults of others, extreme envy and/or jealousy towards others who have been blessed with success and good fortune, and lastly (and perhaps most “deadly”), bloated pride in our own accomplishments that leads us to a self-perceived sense of superiority over others.
 
     Unlike the rich young man presented in today’s Gospel, can we in contrast truly give up those things in our own lives that might “possess” us? And then, in contrast to these things, might we instead strive to be unselfish and genuinely loving towards others, good stewards of our personal health, joyfully generous with our resources, enthusiastic about our work and responsibilities, mercifully patient with and towards others, always full of kindness, and authentically humble about who we truly are?

 

     We may not have so many riches like the young man in today’s Gospel, but there may be things in our lives that prevent us from serving the Lord with our whole heart, mind and soul. To paraphrase today’s Gospel message then, I believe Jesus tells us: “Turn away from those things that possess you, place yourselves in service to others, and then you will have treasure in heaven and will be able to follow me with all that you are!”

 

     My friends, may we do this well!

 

     Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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