Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, each abandoning his particular customs. All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king, and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.
On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, the king erected the horrible abomination upon the altar of burnt offerings and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars. They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt. Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law, was condemned to death by royal decree. But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me, your law I have not forgotten.
Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may keep your precepts.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors who are far from your law.
Far from sinners is salvation, because they seek not your statutes.
I beheld the apostates with loathing, because they kept not to your promise.
They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
“Your faith has saved you”
Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)Today, the blind man Bartimaeus (cf. Mk 10:46) offers us a profound lesson in faith, expressed with open simplicity before Christ. How often would it do us good to repeat Bartimaeus’s very words: "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" (Lk 18:38). It is so beneficial for our soul to feel destitute! The fact is that we are, yet—sadly—we rarely truly acknowledge it. And... naturally, we make fools of ourselves. Saint Paul warns us thus: "What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?" (1 Cor 4:7).
Bartimaeus is not ashamed to feel this way. On more than a few occasions, society and the culture of what is “politically correct” will try to silence us: but they didn’t succeed with Bartimaeus. He did not back down. Even though they were “telling him to be silent, (...) he kept calling out all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me!'" (Lk 18:39). How wonderful! It makes you want to say, “Thank you, Bartimaeus, for this example.”
And it is worth doing it his way, because Jesus listens. He always listens! — no matter how much commotion others create around us. Bartimaeus' simple and unhesitating trust disarms Jesus and steals his heart: "Jesus (…) ordered that he be brought to him; and (...) Jesus asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?'" (Lk 18:40-41). Faced with such faith, Jesus does not beat around the bush! And neither does Bartimaeus: " Lord, please let me see’" (Lk 18:41). No sooner said than done: "Have sight; your faith has saved you” (Lk 18:42). As it turns out, “Our door is faith; if it is strong enough, the whole house is safe” (Saint Ambrose)—in other words, it is capable of anything.
He is everything; He gives us everything. So what else can we do before Him but give Him a response of faith? And this “response of faith” means “allowing ourselves to be found” by this God who—moved by His fatherly love—has always been seeking us. God does not impose Himself upon us, but He frequently passes very close to us: let us learn the lesson of Bartimaeus and... not let Him pass us by!
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“Through prayer we succeed in being with God. Prayer is certainty for sailors.” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa)
“When humanity’s cry, like Bartimaeus’, becomes stronger still, there is no other response than to make Jesus’ words our own and, above all, imitate his heart. Today is a time of mercy!” (Francis)
“Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God "face to face"(1 Cor 13:12), "as he is" (Jn 3:2). So faith is already the beginning of eternal life...” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n 163)
