Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B
October 28, 2012
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Opening Prayer
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm: 126:1-6
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:1-6
Gospel Reading: Mark 10:46-52
- Jesus is on the last leg of his final journey to Jerusalem. He has spent the entire journey trying to break through the spiritual blindness of his disciples and to show them who and what the Messiah really is and what it means to be his disciple.
- He passes through Jericho, an oasis city about 18 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was a major administrative center for the Roman occupiers and the site of King Herod’s luxurious winter retreat. On his way out of the city, the crowd is embarrassed by the cries of a blind man begging by the road. Matthew’s version of this story (Matthew 20:29-34) tells of two blind men. Perhaps Mark mentions only one because Bartimaeus was the bolder of the two and the one who displayed the most faith.
- Bartimaeus (the name means “son of Timaeus”) addresses Jesus as “son of David,” a messianic title related to salvation, as in Luke 1:69.
- Blindness and other physical ailments were thought to be a result of sin, either the persons or their parents (John 9:1-7). These people were often outcasts who were reduced to begging. Jesus, however, stops and delivers an object lesson on blindness—both physical and spiritual.
QUESTIONS:
- In the 1st Reading, what is God doing for his people as they return from Exile in a foreign land? What does he want to do for us when we return to him in humility and repentance?
- In the 2nd Reading, what qualities does Jesus possess as high priest of the New Covenant that enables him to respond to Bartimaeus as he does? How can we imitate these qualities of Jesus?
- What is significant about the way that Bartimaeus addresses Jesus (verses 47, 48)? See also 1 Samuel 2:10, 2 Samuel 7:8-16.
- How does he show his faith while the crowd does not? How is he different from the rich young man in Mark 10:17-22? How is his request different from that of James and John in Mark 10: 36-37?
- What can you learn about prayer from the attitude and approach of Bartimaeus?
- If Jesus asked you, “What do you want me to do for you?” what would you say?
- Bartimaeus sees with the eyes of faith and is healed. Do you think God still works miracles in individual peoples lives today? Does your faith enable you to see God’s work in your life?
Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 439, 548, 2616, 2666-67
So let us follow Him as our pattern: offering Him for our ransom, receiving Him as our Eucharistic food and waiting for him as our endless and exceeding great reward. -St. Augustine