Thursday of 8th Week in Ordinary Time, Yr. II: reflection
Readings:
1Pet 2:2-5,9-12; Mk 10:40-52
In today’s
first reading, St Peter invites us to come to Jesus the living stone, who was
rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s eye, in order to be made whole
spiritually and physically. Then, in today’s gospel, we saw blind Bartimaeus,
who bravely went to Jesus to be made whole.
The account
of Bartimaeus’ healing tells us what happens to people who have boldly decided
to approach Jesus and what they ought to do. Did you notice that the crowd
yelled at the Bartimaeus to stop bothering them with his shouts when he raised
his voice to call on Jesus? If Bartimaeus was not convinced in what he wanted,
he would have succumbed to the people’s intimidation. But the more the people yelled
at him to shut up, the louder he shouted, calling on Jesus to help him.
Never
expect a smooth ride whenever you make a brave choice to go to Jesus and drink
from the well of salvation. The devil, who profited from your life in the dark,
will fight back, as will the world you want to leave behind. The friends who
were content with the way you were will put up barriers in your path. But then,
like Bartimaeus, you will be heard by Jesus if you stay steadfast, and when
Jesus hears you, even those who opposed your movement toward Jesus might turn
around and offer you encouragement. In the case of Bartimaeus, when Jesus heard
him, those who yelled at him to shut up him turned around and encouraged him.
Finally, as
you march towards Jesus to be made whole, you must throw away the things that
defined your old life as Bartimaeus did. When Bartimaeus was moving towards
Jesus, he threw away his cloak because he knew he wasn’t returning to his old
state, he understood that meeting Jesus will restore him and that there
wouldn’t be any need for the things of old; no one encounters Jesus and remains
the same. In the first reading, Peter advised that we should abstain from the
passions of the flesh that wage war against our souls. As you decide to go to
Jesus today to encounter him anew and be made whole, you must let go of the
things of old.
May your
Thursday be blessed. Amen
Fr Isaac
Chima.
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