Simon Helps Jesus with his Cross
28 October 2018 – The 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time
A blind man sits on the side of the road and calls out:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” – Mark 10:47-49
There are blessings in our sorrows… In our weaknesses…
In the sermon on the mount Jesus teaches the Beatitudes… Blessed are poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are those who are meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst… Blessed are those calling out asking… begging… to be seen by the second set of individuals Christ Blesses: Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those willing to be persecuted for righteousness’s sake… Blessed are those who know their strengths and use them for the benefit of others.
Here on the roadside leading out of Jericho is a man noticeably from the first set… a man considered poor in spirit, mourning in his blindness but eager with a hunger to see. His faith (the spirit is actually strong within him) urges him to call out even though as a blind man, he is considered a nothing… an individual of no worth… by humanity. Many of the people around him mock him. Rebuke him. Tell him to be silent. Even though they are crowded about the Lord, they have no concept of what Jesus REALLY stands for. They are simply eager for the show, the chance of seeing a miracle… of getting a glimpse of this Man who is so very unlike all other men. In telling the beggar to be silent, in rebuking him, they show they are not merciful… They are not pure in heart… They have no love of their neighbor… the blind beggar. Continue reading “30th Week of Ordinary Time”
