THE WORD
1 Pt 2,2-5.9-12 / 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, he 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.
IN OTHER WORDS
“Your faith has saved you.” What inspiring words of Jesus! In my experience, Australians and New Zealanders are not really as expressive with their faith unlike those of other cultures. However their deep faith is shown in their dedication and commitment.. When I was parish priest in New Zealand, several months back, I observed that even at a stormy night, people would nd a way to attend a meeting.
The gospel for today is talking about a blind man, who when he heard that Jesus was passing by, wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to get healed. And he got what he wanted and followed Jesus all because of his faith.
What does it mean to have faith? Faith can never be defined if God is not included in that definition. To have faith is to believe in God even if God himself can’t be seen physically. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (11, 1) And to have this is no easy job. And yet, we are all given this faith by God by virtue of our baptism. What we need to do is to nurture this faith so it will grow.
As we continue to reflect on this reading, we ask ourselves, how is our faith? What do we do to nurture it? Is it growing stronger or does it wane whenever life gives us some challenges? Jesus said to Bartimeaus that it was his faith that saved him. There are times when our faith is not as strong as Bartimeaus’ and yet we all need to be saved. Let Jesus increase our faith so that in times of difficulties, we would be saved.
- Fr. Elmer Ibarra, SVD | Sydney, Australia
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
