BLINDNESS - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Homily for the 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Based on Mk 10:46-52(Gospel), Jr 31:7-9(First Reading) andHeb 5:1-6 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

BLINDNESS

“Master, let me see again.” (Mk 10:51)

The Gospel reading for this 30^thSunday in Ordinary Time is from Mk 10:46-52.

Verse 46 says: They reached Jericho; and as he left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road begging.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 20:29-34 - As they left Jericho a large crowd followed him (v. 29). Now there were two blind men sitting by the side of the  road. When they heard that it was Jesus who was passing by, they shouted, ‘Lord! Have pity on us, Son of David (v. 30).’ And the crowd scolded them and told them to keep quiet, but they shouted more loudly, “Lord, have pity on us, Son of David (v.31).’ Jesus stopped, called them over and said, “What do you want me to do for you? (v. 32)’ They said to him, “Lord, let have our sight back’ (v. 33). Jesus felt pity for them and touched their eyes, and immediately their sight returned, and they followed him (v. 34).

2.       Lk 18:35-43 - Now as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting by the side of the road begging (v.35). When he heard the crowd going past he asked  what it was all about (v.36), and they told him that “Jesus the Nazarene was passing by (v. 37). So he  called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me (v. 38). The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me’ (v. 39). Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him (v. 40),“What do you want me to do for you?” ‘Sir’, he replied, ‘let me see again (v.41) Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ (v. 42) And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened (v. 43)

Verses 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 and 52 say:  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me’. Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man, ‘Courage’ they said, get up, he is calling you.” So throwing of his cloak, she jumped up and he went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbuni,’ the blind man said to him, ‘Master, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

Parallel text for verse 51 are:

1.       Jn 20:16 - Jesus said, “Mary!” She him^d and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’^e which means Master.Footnote ^d says “Var. ’She turned’”; Footnote ^e  says “A more solemn address than ‘Rabbi’, and often used when speaking to God: it therefore approximates to Thomas’ profession of faith, v. 28.”

2.       Mt 8:10 - When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith^b like this.Footnote^b  says“ The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miraclesunless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”

The First Reading is from Jr 31:7-9.

Verses 7 and 8 says:  For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout: Yahweh has saved his people.^d the remnant of Israel.See! I will bring them back from the land of the North; and gather them from the ends of the earth; all of them: the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labor; a great company returning here. Footnote ^d  says “’has saved his’ Greek; ‘save thy’ Hebr.”

Parallel text is Is 4:3 that says:Those who are left of Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.^dFootnote^d  says“Faithless Israel will be punished, but because God loves his people a small ‘remnant’ will escape the invader’s sword. This idea, already familiar to Amos, 3:12; 5:15; 9:8-10, is taken up by Isaiah, 4:2-3; 6:13; 7:3 and 10:19-21; 28:5-6; 37:4; (=2 K 19:4); 37:31-32; cfMi 4:7; 5:2; Zp 2:7,9; 3:12; Jr 3:14; 5:18; Ezk 5:3;. This purified and henceforth faithful remnant left in Jerusalem will once again become a powerful nation. After the disaster of 587 a new conception appears: the remnant will be found among the exiles, Ezk 6:8-10; cf Dt. 30:1-2; and God will then gather them together with a view to the messianic restoration, Jr 23:3; 31:7; 50:20; Ezk 20:37; Is 11:11,16; Mi 2:12-13. Back from exile this remnant, again unfaithful, will be further reduced in number and purified, Zc 1:3; 8:11; Hg 1:12; Ob 17=Jl 3:5; Zc 13:8-9; 14:2. In the event, Christ proves to be the true ‘Branch’ of the new and sanctified Israel, Is 11:1,10; cf 4:2; Jr 23:3-6; Unlike Israel. the pagan nations will have no ‘remnant’, Is 14:22,30; 15:9; 16:14; Am 1:8; Ezk 21:37; Ob 18.”

Verse 9 says: They had left in tears, I will comfort them as I lead them back;^eI will guide them to streams of water, By a smooth path where they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is my firstborn son. Footnote^e  says‘they had left’ Greek; ‘they will come’ Heb. ‘comfort’ (lit ‘I will lead them back with consolations’ Greek; ‘with supplications’ Hebr.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ps 126:5-6 - Those who went sowing in tears Now sing as they reap (v. 5) They went away, went away weeping, Carrying the seed; they come back,come back singing, carrying their sheaves (v. 6).

2.       Is 40:3 - A voice^c cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.^dFootnote^c says“The voice of Yahweh addressing the prophet. The evangelists quote this text in its LXX form; ‘A voice of one who cries in the wilderness…’; for them this is the voice of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah; and Footnote  ^d  says “The Exodus is to be repeated; Yahweh will lead his people back to Palestine. The wonders of the Exodus have already been recalled by Isaiah, 10:25-27, as an earnest of God’s protection. The prophets of the Exile elaborate this theme. As of old, God will come to save his people, Jr. 16:14-15; 31:2; Is. 46:3-4;  and 63:9 (repeating Ex. 19:4) The miracles of the first Exodus, Mi. 7:14-15, the crossing of the Red Sea, Is. 11:15-16; 43:16-21; 51:10; 63:11-13; the water from the rock, 48:21; the bright cloud, 52:12;  cf. 4:5-6, the desert march, 40:3f; cf. Ba. 5:7-9; become both type and guarantee of the second, from Babylon to Jerusalem. On the theme of the Exodus see also Ho. 2:16+.”

3.       Dt 1:31 - In the wilderness, too, you saw him: how Yahweh carried you, as a man carries his child, all along theroad you travelled on the way to this place.

4.       2 Co 6:18 - And be your father, and you shall be sons and daughters, says the Almighty Lord.

The Second Reading is from Heb 5:1-6.

Verses 1, 2 and 3 say: Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathize with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of his weakness.That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people…

Parallel text for verse 1 is Heb 8:3 that says: It is the duty of every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; and so this one too must have something to offer.

Parallel texts for verse 3 are:

1.       Heb 7:27 - One who had no need to offer sacrifice day every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all^gby offering himself.Footnote ^g  says “The one and only sacrifice of Christ is the center of salvation history, Ac 1:7+. It closes a long epoch of preparations, 1:1f, cf. Rm 10:4; it occurs ‘at the appointed time’, Ga. 4:4+, Rm 3:26+, and it begins the eschatological epoch. Though the Last Day, 1 Co 1:8+; Rm 2:6+, will follow, 2 Co 6:2+, only at some unspecified, 1 Th 5:1+, time in the future; salvation for the human race has been in essence certain from the moment when, in the person of Christ, it died to sin and rose to live again. Heb makes a special point of how the whole of this hope flow from the absolute, unique, unrepeatable sacrifice of Christ, 7:27; 9:12,26,28; 10:10; cf. Rm 6:10; 1 P 3:18. Being unrepeatable, 10:12-14, this sacrifice is different  from all others in the O.T. that had to be repeated again and again because they were unable to actually to save anyone.”

2.       Lv 9:7 - Moses then addressed Aaron, ‘Go to the altar and offer your sacrifice for sin and your holocaust, and so perform the rite of atonement for yourself and your family.^aThen present the people’s offering of the in atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”Footnote ^a  says “Lit. ‘in your family’ Greek; ‘the people’ Hebr.”

3.       Dt 1:31 - After offering the bull as a sacrifice for his own sin and performing the rite of atonement for himself and for his family...

4.       2 Co 6:18 - John replied, “A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven.

Verse 4 says: No one takes this honor on himself, but each one is called by God, just as Aaron was.

Parallel text is Ex 28:1 that says: From among the sons of Israel summon your brother Aaron and his sons to be my priests in my service: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron.

Verse 5 says: Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father.

Parallel text is Ps 2:7 that says: Let me^b proclaim Yahweh’s decree; he told me, You are my son, today I have become your father. Footnote^b says “The rebel speaks, v. 3, the Yahweh himself, v. 6, finally the Messiah, v. 7f. By consecrating him king of Israel, v. 6, God pronounces him ‘his son’; the phrase in this context is familiar in the ancient East, but in conjunction with the messianic promise of 2 S 7 it will be given a deeper meaning; Heb 1:5, followed by Christian tradition and liturgy, applies v. 7 to the eternal generation of the Word.”

Verse 6 says: And in another text: ‘You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek.’

Parallel text is Ps 110:4 that says: Yahweh has sworn an oath which he will never retract, ‘You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever.’