30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr.B – Called and gathered in Christ

Ref. Jer. 31:7-9; Mk 10:46-52  Oct-26/27-24     Dcn. Bill Kenney

     Our parish Homebound Eucharistic ministry is a truly a blessing. It is done in the joy of calling, gathering, and sharing the life and body of Christ with our homebound brothers and sisters. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the ministers are called to fulfill the life-actions of the Church, celebrating the Eucharist in joy and thanksgiving outside the Mass. Bless all you ministers for your commitment and service.

     The Eucharist recipients call out and are themselves called by God to be united in His presence and healing mercy.  Today’s readings remind us of these divine acts of calling, gathering, and healing and they invite us to recognize God’s unwavering commitment to His people and our call to embody that same commitment in our own lives.

     Our first reading from Jeremiah speaks of the calling and gathering of exiled people back to Israel. The elderly men and women, the infirmed, the blind, the lame, women with children- all were delivered by the Lord, in joy, from their exile.

The imagery of the blind and the lame represents not only physical ailments but also spiritual and emotional distress. The refugees gather as an immense throng, in solidarity, and in faith. Consoled and guided by God the Father, they go their way. Historically, those who were useful to their captors remained in exile: the strong and fit men and women, were drafted into military service or kept as laborers for food and construction, or as domestic servants and concubines. From the returned remnant refugees comes the people of God, Israel, from whom is born the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

     In our Gospel reading from Mark, we hear the story of Bartimaeus, a blind roadside beggar. He was like the exiled refugees of Israel, but instead he hoped to be called and gathered into the Kingdom of God.  He proclaims his profound faith that Jesus is the “Son of David”, the promised descendant of King David, Jesus, the Messiah. His trust in Jesus’ ability to heal his vision was spoken in very simple and clear words: “Have pity on me.” “I want to see.” Despite being shunned by the crowd, he persevered in his cries.  At Jesus’ calling, he threw aside his cloak. He courageously determined that his faith and trust in Jesus was all that was needed.

All of this results in his hope for healing not only his vision, but also for his spiritual and emotional needs. In a spiritual sense, Bartimaeus begged not for money, but for discipleship with Christ. His witness is a lesson for us all.  

     With the exiles returned home and Bartimaeus’s vision restored, these readings invite us to rejoice in God’s saving actions in our lives. We can be a type of Bartimaeus and ask the Lord to heal us of any blindness that keeps us from seeing the path that leads to God’s Kingdom or from accepting the crosses that come along the way.  Bartimaeus’ blindness represents the soul’s longing for the light of Christ, which dispels the darkness of ignorance, doubt, and sin.

      We have all experienced darkness in our personal lives, the result of individual or family troubles:

• We have grieved at the untimely death of a loved one.
• We, or a family member, have been plagued by serious illness.
• We’ve been set back by economic difficulties, worried about income and finances to meet the needs of self and our family.
• We have other varied family struggles – perhaps a rocky marriage, or a teenage son or daughter seemingly out of control.

The sorrow and worry are all too real. How do we take up these crosses? Do we offer them up to the Lord? Recall the exiled ancient Israelites of Jeremiah: “… they departed in tears but I will console them and guide them; … I am a Father to Israel.”  Like Bartimaeus, take courage, be not afraid. Turn in prayer to Jesus in your need. He will hear you; be open to his call. We are to recognize our Heavenly Father’s love and unwavering commitment to us and our call to gather with others in that same commitment in our own lives.

     In the Mass we gather as a people of God united in faith, hope, and thanksgiving.  We embody a language of communion- called and gathered in the Holy Trinity through the Sign of the Cross. We cry out in our prayer to be one with Christ in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Like Bartimeus, we are called to cry out from the darkness and be gathered into the light of Christ. We cry, “Come, Lord Jesus. Hear our prayer. Have pity on us. Pour out your healing mercy upon us according to your divine will.”  Then, we are sent, we go our way which must always be the way, the truth, and the life of Christ, for our salvation and for the glory of God.