Blind Man Sees Better than James and John

In the Gospel two weekends ago, Jesus asked James and John what they wanted Him to do for them.  And they told Jesus that they wanted to sit on His left and His right when He came into His Kingdom.  What a brash self-interested request! 

“What do you want me to do for you?” is the same question Jesus asks the blind beggar in last Sunday’s Gospel. And the beggar, Bartimeous, says “I want to see.” And Jesus responds “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” And not only are his eyes opened but he also sees with eyes of faith. The story ends saying that that “Bartimeous followed Him on the way.”

‘Following Jesus on the way’ is code language implying that Bartimeous became Jesus' committed follower. So guess where Jesus stops next on the way? It was Jerusalem when Jesus arranged the ‘Palm Sunday' entrance into the Holy City. So Bartimeous follows Jesus to His dying and rising. What a commitment! (Read Mk 10:51-11:1-2)

How would you respond if Jesus asked you “What do you want me to do for you?” And what is the hardest thing for you to do as you follow Jesus 'on the way'?

                                                          

                                                      Do You Listen to God? 

Last weekend we heard the aftermath of Jesus’ 3^rd prediction of His suffering, dying and rising. (Mark 10:33-45)  And right after that, James and John ask Jesus if they can sit on His right and left sides when He comes into His kingdom. 

After the 1^st prediction of His suffering and dying, Peter ‘rebukes’ Jesus for saying such a thing. To which Jesus responds: “Get behind me Satan!” (Mark 8:31-33)

And in the light of the 2nd prediction, Jesus discovers that while He was talking, the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. (Mark 9:30-34)

You might ask: What’s wrong with these Disciples?

I think they simply didn’t ‘hear’ what Jesus said, because they were too focused on their own issues. If they really heard Him, wouldn’t they have shown some shock or compassion?

   

Do we listen to what Jesus wants to tell us?  Or are we so preoccupied with our own issues that we don’t even ask Him what He might want to say to us?

Honestly…that happens to me almost all the time!

    

So my new-found daily remedy is to ask Jesus to tell me what He wants me to hear.  And then I shut up for 10 minutes and try to listen to Him. It seems to work. Give it a try.   

   

                                                        Do You Listen to God? 

Last weekend we heard the aftermath of Jesus’ 3^rd prediction of His suffering, dying and rising. (Mark 10:33-45)  And right after that, James and John ask Jesus if they can sit on His right and left sides when He comes into His kingdom. 

After the 1^st prediction of His suffering and dying, Peter ‘rebukes’ Jesus for saying such a thing. To which Jesus responds: “Get behind me Satan!” (Mark 8:31-33)

And in the light of the 2nd prediction, Jesus discovers that while He was talking, the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. (Mark 9:30-34)

You might ask: What’s wrong with these Disciples?

I think they simply didn’t ‘hear’ what Jesus said, because they were too focused on their own issues. If they really heard Him, wouldn’t they have shown some shock or compassion?

   

Do we listen to what Jesus wants to tell us?  Or are we so preoccupied with our own issues that we don’t even ask Him what He might want to say to us?

 

Honestly…that happens to me almost all the time!

    

So my new-found daily remedy is to ask Jesus to tell me what He wants me to hear.  And then I shut up for 10 minutes and try to listen to Him. It seems to work. Give it a try.    

                                               The Rich Man Who Walked Away Sad

A rich man asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life.  Jesus told him to keep the commandments. And the rich man said that he had done that since his birth.  So Jesus said: “There is one thing more you need to do…sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then come and follow me.“ And the rich man went away sad because he had many possessions.

                                            Questions to think about:

       1. As the rich man got older do you think he regretted walking away from Jesus?
  
       2. If Jesus asked you to the same thing as that rich man, what would you do?

 3. If  you asked Jesus what you personally need to do to attain eternal life, what do you think Jesus would specifically ask of you? 

 4. What do you think happened to the rich man when he died?  

       5. What cost would you be willing to pay this week for an ‘Eternal Life Insurance Policy’?

In the next day or two, make it a point to tell someone the story of the rich man and what that story means to you.   

                                                                       Muslims

                                                         (Morocco Reflection no. 3)

Morocco is more than 99% Muslim.  Until this trip, I’ve never really talked to a Muslim.  But the following conversation changed that. 

We were in an ancient building getting info from a local guide. 10 days into our trip, I was tired of looking at buildings. So when the guide invited us to walk around the site, all I wanted to do was find a place to sit down.  I spotted a bench where one man sat.

Unsure of his language, I hesitantly asked if I could sit down. He said: “Yes…please join me.”  I complemented his English. He said: “I have to speak it well. I’m a tour guide.” We both smiled.

He asked what I did and I said: “I’m a Catholic Priest.” It was as if he was waiting for a moment like this. He quickly replied: “The problem with religion is that we have too many extremists. We need more normal people with moderate voices.” “Yes”, I clearly agreed. 

Then I told him the one thing I knew about the Koran: “It has more verses about Jesus’ mother Mary than the Bible does.”  He smiled and said:  “Yes, and Miriam (Mary) is the most common name for Muslim women.” What an interesting connection!

His tour group gathered round us.  We stood, hugged, and exchanged names. We agreed to pray for each other. He’s the only Muslim on my prayer list.  I won’t forget him.    

Think about a conversation you’ve had with someone that you’ll never forget.