(Chapter 31:7-9)
“The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng.”
Jeremiah is talking about the return of the Israelites from exile. But how are we to think of exiles returning today? There are almost 20 million exiles in the world now, and the number is growing each year. Most are from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Niger, the Central African Republic, and several countries in Central and South America. Many of them are women and children fleeing violence, hunger, and abject poverty. Some western countries have opened their doors to the refugees; others have not. It is a very complex issue, but we need to hold these people in our hearts and do what we can to change hostility to refugees, knowing that many of us have ancestors who once were refugees.
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6)
“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” What great things has the Lord done for you? Have you been thankful? Has it brought you joy? How do you express your joy and thanksgiving?
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
(Chapter 5:1-6)
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews is writing about the role of high priest in the Jewish religion: “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God as Aaron was.” The role of high priest was an enormously important part of the Jewish tradition of the time, and the author makes it clear that the priest was “beset by weakness.” He was to be a servant, not someone to lord it over the people. Of course—precisely because of human weakness—it did not always work out that way and has not throughout history.
The main point of the reading, though, is that even Jesus was called by the Father: “In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who sent him. … ‘You are my son: this day I have begotten you.’” Jesus was called by the Father and responded as our “suffering servant.” It is the same today in our Church. People are called to priesthood by our Father to serve all of us.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
(Chapter 10:46-52)
As Jesus left Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was on the side of the road. “On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, 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, Jesus is calling you.’ He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.’” When Jesus asked what Bartimaeus wanted, the blind man answered, “Master, I want to see,” and Jesus answered, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Bartimaeus immediately received his sight and followed Jesus.
Notice that Bartimaeus called Jesus “Son of David.” He knew that Jesus was not just any man, any healer; Bartimaeus was healed by his faith in Jesus who, he recognized, was in the tradition of the great King David. And then, Bartimaeus did not go away but “followed him on the way.” We never hear of this man again, but we know from this story that once his eyes were opened, he followed Jesus.
Have you ever experienced a healing, either of some part of your physical or spiritual person or of a relationship, and thought that, although there were human agents involved, it came through the grace of Jesus? If your answer is yes, give thanks. If not, think again. Maybe you missed the most important dimension of your healing.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.