The Gospel continues some themes we have been offered in the past few weeks. Jesus is Servant, He came to serve us and if we desire to follow Him we first allow Him to serve us and then we serve others. This being servant can cause suffering of various kinds.
James and John ask Jesus if they could be granted a special place in this kingdom. Jesus invites them into the kingdom through the “emersion” or baptism of suffering as servants first. Jesus fits the waiter/servant role perfectly. He leads by serving. As Christians, we are to lead others in the same way, with tact, honesty and quiet guidance, by moral example and moral commitment.
Greatness consists not in what we have, or in what we can get from others but in what we can give of ourselves to others.
Speech creates our world. It builds community or destroys it. It promotes peace or creates chaos. Speech makes us the people we are. To be honest is to be respectful. When we lie, it is a sign that there is something we do not like about ourselves.
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To covet is to never be satisfied with what you have. Coveting is all consuming and a lack of self-control. To habitually use others to get what you want, dehumanizes the other. Our desires leave us dull to the present and unaware of what we have.
Today’s gospel offers us a vibrant look at hope. As Jesus and the huge crowds following him began to leave Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the side of the road begging. In a moment that would change his life, he heard the crowds talking as they walked and realized Jesus would be passing by the roadside. Bartimaeus began calling loudly for Jesus to have pity on him.
A blind man would have to keep his possessions close to himself, within easy reach. But in an extraordinary gesture of confidence in Jesus’ healing, he threw aside his cloak and rose to go to Jesus. He had the courage to ask for the vision that would change his life.
We are all “blind” and do we really want to ask Jesus to see? If we all see clearly, then what does that mean in terms of the “stuff” we have accumulated? If we see where we can make a difference, what are the new challenges? Will we be satisfied?
Reflection Questions
What is the purpose of life? In a relationship with God, we can ask the same question: what's most important? How does that question impact our prayer life, our family life, our social life? What one principle or character trait tells others we are followers of Christ?
What's most important? What's first? Who's on first in our life? Is it us or Jesus? If the answer is us or the things we own, we're on our own. For, we have put ourselves in God's place. So there is no room for God or others. If, however, the answer is Jesus, we can rest assured God is helping us to love him with our very being and everyone else as ourselves.
The compulsive need to amass things may be a signal of the emptiness of our souls and a distant relationship with God. Greed eats away at the soul and consumes us with wants. To be satisfied with what we have may be the only measure of whether we have been successful in life.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected—the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
Reflection Questions
HOMILY SERIES...
LAWS OF THE HEART
The Law of Sharing
“You shall love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Sometimes we need to look at the world through different eyes. The poor give us this chance. Instead of looking at the rich and famous, we look at those less fortunate.