The gospel according to St Mark this weekend is the last miracle that Jesus
performed before entering Jerusalem. It is about Bartimaeus, a blind man, a man of
no significance. He cannot see Jesus. His blindness cripples his mobility. He can only
sit at the side of the road.
Power is exercised differently in a Christian community. One does not lord it over others, and authority is not used to twist arms. Rulers in Jesus’ time lived in luxury, taxed people and had the last word over people’s life. Power easily loses sight of its true objective. We claim we need it to serve others better, but in no time, we turn people into servants or enemies.
The man’s name in the Gospel is not mentioned. He can be any of us who meets Jesus on the road of life and who is struck by the beauty of his teaching and the leadership Jesus exudes. We all had had our moments of religious fervor when we wanted to be a priest or a religious or when we wanted to be a caring companion of the elderly, the sick, the lonely and the helpless. We felt good at such moments for we felt the intensity of the Lord’s presence and appeal.
I Have Kept all the Commandments Read More »
Jesus says that this was never part of God’s plan in the creation of Adam and Eve. The book of Genesis talks about a permanent bond, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” The sanctity of marriage goes back to the creation story.
What God Has Joined Together… Read More »
The apostle John reported to our Lord with the claim, “We saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him because he is not of our company.” Bluntly, Jesus ordered them not to stop him and essentially told them that they do not have an exclusive copyright over His name.
No Exclusive Copyright Over His Name Read More »
The curing of the deaf-mute is much more than a story about a person’s physical handicap. The pagan man could not hear the good news of Jesus much less proclaim it, because he was deaf and dumb. Jesus wants this man too to receive the message of God’s love and communicate it to others.
Who Was the Greatest Read More »
The curing of the deaf-mute is much more than a story about a person’s physical handicap. The pagan man could not hear the good news of Jesus much less proclaim it, because he was deaf and dumb. Jesus wants this man too to receive the message of God’s love and communicate it to others.
Who do you say I am Read More »
The curing of the deaf-mute is much more than a story about a person’s physical handicap. The pagan man could not hear the good news of Jesus much less proclaim it, because he was deaf and dumb. Jesus wants this man too to receive the message of God’s love and communicate it to others.
Deaf to the Word of God Read More »
The ceremonial washings in our religious practice flow from our belief that God whom we seek to encounter, and approach is All Holy. Therefore, we need to go to Him, clean and worthy.
Jesus wouldn’t really care much if dissent and defection were indeed to occur among His disciples. Jesus was inviting them to discern for themselves. What He clearly does is simply give His teachings and challenges, and then to poke us time and again by asking us a question or two.
To Whom Shall We Go Read More »
