Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
I think that our readings are connected with an interesting action
· Here it is:
o Jeremiah as a prophet: “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.”
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.”
o Mark as an evangelist: “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…”
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out…”
· Here is a nuance connection with this one descriptive action: “shout” with joy for Jacob and Bartimaeus, “he began to cryout”
And these are like the ice cap of an iceberg that goes very deep in our history
· In the first passage, shows a macro moment—God’s called people
o At this point in history, God’s people divided itself with the Israelites and the Judaist
o Eventually, both groups were defeated by the Babylonians and the Assyrians into destruction, taking away from their homes and culture
o And we heard Jeremiah proclaim, ““The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.”
o God brings His people back together
· In the passage in Mark shoes a micro moment—one person, Bartimaeus
o “On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,[Bartimaeus] began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
o And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
o “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."” And he could, thanks to Jesus Christ
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."” And he could, thanks to Jesus Christ
Now, with these two passages, I believe that these clearly speak to us today
· We are polarized in our country, our communities and possibly even our familes
· People are shouting or crying
o But what are they shouting or crying for believing whether change or tradition, anger, fighting on both sides between different camps at the human level
· But I think that we as Catholics and Christians, must go beyond ideas, policies, etc.
· We must cry, we must shout, for Jesus Christ
Often, crying out to Jesus is difficult. Why? Our humanity overcomes our need for prayer to overcome what is "hurting" us in our lives. We remain comfortable with our status and therefore, are adverse to feeling uncomfortable by going to confession or changing the habits which give us the comfort that is often adverse to the Commandments and what is taught in Scripture by Jesus. We are selfish with our own gifts such as skills to help others, money, other forms of wealth and especially the time God gives us with which we could help others.
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