Partial Following

    

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

15 September 2024

 

First Reading: Is 50:5-9a

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Second Reading: Jas 2:14-18

Gospel: Mk 8:27-35

 

Reflection

By: Bernard C. Borja

 

Most of us today are familiar with following people and being followed by people in social media. We may know few or plenty of things about a person through what they post or share online. Getting to know people and being updated with them is not that hard today even if we have not met personally. We have our own reasons why we follow people on social media. Those people who have similar values and principles to us may be one of those reasons why we want to be updated about them. This following can go on until a post or something that the person says is not anymore aligned with the follower’s values and principles. For instance, we have seen many people unfollow celebrities who posted or commented about a certain issue which is against what their followers believe or stand for. In the past years, I have seen people unfollow their friends in social media because of issues such as politics and different views about justice. Someone I know was confronted by her longtime friend because of sharing a post by a human rights activist about the ceasefire against Israel’s attack on Gaza. Her friend says that she is siding with the terrorist when she shared that post. They unfollowed each other before even trying to understand and delve deeper into their points. Sometimes, differing points of view and principles can sever a relationship more than being wronged. However, what people share on social media becomes their full self and the basis for judgement. If we ask ourselves, “Who do people say that I am?”, answers can vary depending on what we post and share online, not even considering what we do offline.

If we ask our friends, “Who do you say I am?”, what will they say? I believe they will say a lot about us from a deeper perspective. When Jesus asked the disciples, Peter replied “You are the Christ.” His reply was like he knew Jesus from a deeper perspective. But things go differently when Jesus spoke about how He must suffer greatly. If I were to hear it first, like Peter, I would also react the same way. But in this way, I would only be looking at Jesus as the savior without seeing one of the most important journeys of salvation. We can ask ourselves again, “Who do I say Jesus is?” Do I think of Jesus at all, in trouble times or in joy? Because it greatly matters about the way we direct our lives through Him, the way we worship Him, and the way we live.

Peter did not realize at that time that suffering is part of the divine plan of salvation. Today, we can easily say that suffering is part of human condition but not see it through the eyes of Jesus. There is a difference between suffering and sacrifice. Through Him, suffering has a purpose, which becomes a sacrifice. A mother who suffers physical exhaustion to give her child a better sleep is a sacrifice. A father who endures the time being away from his family to work is a sacrifice. Sacrifice will always be a self-giving act, an act of love, no matter how big or small that deed is. To give a friend a chance to talk about his or her belief and be open to understand his or her principles, is an act of self-giving. I believe that sacrifice is also a “denial of self” which can be achieved only in terms of self-giving and in terms of love.

In everything that we do and decide, we can also ask ourselves, “Where is the following of Christ in this?” Our choices in life and the way we live somehow determines if we follow Christ as our whole self, or just a partial following. We can never separate our views or opinion about justice from the justice that Jesus stands for. Like when someone says that their political views are separate from their religious views. It’s like saying “I am following Christ, but I am letting Him take my cross.” Today, we pray to God to grant us the grace to allow ourselves to be whole in reaching out to Jesus, with all the inconveniences and even pain, for us to be reminded not to look away from the inconvenient part of the divine plan of salvation.

Prayer

Dearest Lord, teach us to look at our lives through Jesus. May we transform our suffering by giving it purpose and do it as a selfless act of love. We pray for the people around us that we may share the sufferings in terms of self-giving and love for each other. In Jesus' Name we pray, AMEN.

Life Giving

"Go your way; your faith has saved you."

First Reading: Jer 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.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

Second Reading: Heb 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative 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.

Gospel: Mk 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.

Reflection

By Marky Vertido

This Sunday’s Gospel reading is parallel to both Matthew and Luke’s version in their Gospel. Matthew described the situation having two blind men and Mark named one as Bartimaeus.

 For me, the month of October marks the anniversary of my commitment to every young people. For the last three years, I have dedicated myself for the young and this will continue. The passage for today is one of my favorites for it was the same story that I had shared always with my fellow young people. The following is a parallel explanation only. It will be quite long but reflective, a way to end my reflection series.

There are three characters in the story – Bartimaeus, the crowd, and Jesus. Describing Bartimaeus, we could say that he is blind, beggar, piteous, dirty, odorous, helpless, and in the dark. Thus, Bartimaeus does not live life to the fullest. He lives in misery and trouble because of his condition. We could visualize all of these but let me throw the question to you, are you also blind, piteous, dirty, odorous, helpless, and in the dark? Are you blind because of sin? Have you ever beg for love and care as well?

It is very annoying to see how the crowd reacted when Bartimaeus called for the Son of David. The crowd rebuked him to keep quiet but the more he calls for Jesus. The crowd is noisy, unruly and selfish. How about you? Are you noisy, unruly and selfish also? How many people have you tried to lead to Jesus? How many have you rebuked?

And we have Jesus. With no doubt, we can say that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Son of David, the Redeemer, and Divine Healer. Now, did you ever become a Jesus to others?

Examining the situation of Bartimaeus, he was sitting in the roadside of Jericho. It is important to take note that Jesus was leaving Jericho going to Jerusalem to fulfill the Scriptures. Sitting beside the road defies its usage. The road is used for walking, thus, there is life in it and sitting beside shows that someone is stuck. Are you stuck also to your present situation?

In the static situation of Bartimaeus, he wanted to reach for Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – since he was outside the circle of Life, the circle of Jesus, but the crowd stopped him. But then Jesus heard Bartimaeus and He knows that He needs to pull Bartimaeus from misery and bring him to the fullness of Life. He wanted to heal Bartimaeus.

Recounting the act of Jesus, we can observe several actions. First, Jesus LISTENED to Bartimaeus after he called Jesus. Listening is a very important action. For Jesus, He does not really need to listen but He did. Thus, this gives Bartimaeus the sense of worth that he is worthy to be listened to. Are you worthy to listen to?

Second, Jesus STOPPED for Bartimaeus. Now, just like listening, stopping for someone you do not know is also an act of Jesus to allow the total healing of this blind man. This gives the sense of importance to Bartimaeus. Can you stop for other people?

Then, Jesus CALLED for Bartimaeus. He called the blind man to come near and probably He called the blind man’s name. God himself calls everyone by their names because God wants to be intimate with us. It is good to suggest to parents to name their child after a saint who would serve as a guide for their child. Do you also hear the call of God in your life?

After calling Bartimaeus, Jesus ASKED what it is that he wants. In the Gospel itself, there are many instances when Jesus asked what one wants from Him. By doing this, Jesus is recognizing and respecting our free will. He already knows what we need but He wants us to decide whether we really need it or not. Are you using your free will responsibly?

In Matthew’s version, Jesus’ actions were to FEEL, to TOUCH. He was moved by the faith of the blind man. And lastly, He gave healing to the blind man when He touched him. We cannot just touch any person but Jesus himself touched Bartimaeus to sympathize and heal him. Can you feel the sufferings of others? Have you ever tried to touch the life of someone?

Now, the result of Jesus’ action is restoration not only of the sight of Bartimaeus, but also his very own life, becoming a member of the circle of Life by following Jesus. Thus, what Jesus did is a life giving act. I throw the question to you, have you ever tried to LISTEN to others, to STOP when someone is in need, to CALL for others back to Jesus, to ASK them what they need, to FEEL their pains or situations, and TOUCH them and be with them?

God gave us hands to be life giving to others also, that is, to accomplish what Jesus had accomplished for Bartimaeus. We use our hands to work for our needs and for the Kingdom. And as we use our hands to embrace others, we also show the love of God to others.

Commitment: Like Jesus, be life giving to others in either big or small actions that we do.

 Prayer:

Lord, giver of life, it is our desire to follow You. Heal the blindness that sin has brought us. Give us the courage to approach You in the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that these sins we have may vanish away. And after You cleanse our hearts with Your merciful love, help us to become life giving to others and to accompany them to You, especially the young people. We ask this in Jesus name with the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Pedro Calungsod. Amen!