Be Careful What You Ask For | November 16, 2015

November 16, 2015

Be careful what you ask for. The setting of today’s gospel should seem familiar and yes, it is Blind Bartimaeus as seen a few Sunday’s ago from the gospel of Mark. The scene should also resemble or foreshadow Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem complete with lots of paparazzi, flamboyant hosannas, fan girls, Super Bowl-sized crowds, and if a Pope Mobile were invented yet it would be swerving enthusiastically through the masses. Jesus was a serious celebrity with as many haters as groupies just like today’s celebrities. Celebrity’s lives are lived under a microscope and every word uttered by them could and would be used against them at some point in their career. Today, the crowd was for him! “WE LOVE JESUS, YES WE DO, WE LOVE JESUS, HOW ‘BOUT YOU?!!!!!!!!!!”

Visualize how the blind beggar felt with hundreds of rowdy fanatics invading his corner, his sales turf, and probably stepping all over him, pushing, and shoving, with lots of Middle Eastern yelling. Can I get a “what the hell?” from the blind dude!! When he learns that Jesus is the reason for this commotion, he immediately joins in. I can imagine that an experienced blind beggar’s voice probably had some well developed volume behind it as he was heard over everyone else and of course when Jesus’ entourage (picture dudes in black and white suits, ear pieces, sunglasses, brisk purposeful walking, and no smiles) tried to silence him, the blind man had nothing to lose and just shouted louder! Have you ever had nothing to lose? It gives you a certain confidence, unusual courage, and the guts to just go for it, doesn’t it? The blind beggar put it all out there. Remember that illness, affliction, mental disorders, disease, ailments, etc. were all associated with someone’s sin and when the blind man addressed Jesus as the Son of David (Messiah), he also admitted that he himself was a sinner, “have mercy on me.” The definition of mercy is: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm, implying that the one receiving mercy did indeed do something to merit punishment. We are all fall short and this cry for mercy is our cry as well.

Years ago I read the book The Way Of The Pilgrim and started praying the Jesus Prayer non-stop throughout my day: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”, breathing in for the first half of the prayer and out for the second half. At first it was just me going through the motions of learning a spiritual practice and it felt forced, but when it switched from practice to real life, the words actually became efficacious to me. I actually felt mercy like a soothing salve on my soul. It melted my hardened heart and it convicted me as innocent rather than guilty because the name of Jesus IS that powerful. Sadly, I have fallen away from this spiritual exercise, but with the appearance of this same story twice in the past month, I think I may be called back into it’s efficacious embrace and with the Year of Mercy upon us, I encourage all of us to consider incorporating it into our daily walk. The book is called The Way Of The Pilgrim and it explains the Jesus Prayer practice and/or you can look it up online.

Back to the story…we see an excellent example of how God responds to us in prayer. When we cry out to him with full heart and voice, he will stop and bring us close to him, the way Jesus does in the story, and then he will dialogue with us, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked the blind beggar this question because he knew that when his sight was restored, his begging career and livelihood would also be destroyed. This was a huge sacrifice and Jesus needed to make sure he knew exactly what he was asking for. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “be careful what you ask for.” Have you ever prayed for patience or humility? God always answers those prayers with real life situations that will indeed test both your patience and your humility, and not all of those situations are super fun! So Jesus, in his kindness, checked first with the blind man, and his answer was the right one, “I want to see.” He knew the heart of the matter…the gift of understanding; the fruit of faithfulness, and that is how Jesus knew that God was working in the blind man’s life. His request was motivated by faith rather than by selfishness, and as a result, many people witnessed him immediately start following Jesus and praising God. They in turn did the same because the miracle of sight was also granted to them. God’s work in our lives spills over into the lives of those around us.

The blind man traded his livelihood to follow Jesus. He gave up what he knew, and what was comfortable because he put his trust in God. He cried out to Jesus in the midst of chaos, admitted that he was weak and in need of mercy, and because he had nothing to lose, he gained everything. Let’s get to the heart of the matter in our own lives. What do we really need? Are we willing to trade our current status to attain it? Are we willing to cry out to the Lord with full voice? Will we immediately follow him once we are healed? Will we only ask for things that are safe and comfortable? And last but not least do we believe that God’s mercy is bigger than our sin?

Breathe in: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

Breathe our: Have mercy on me.

Reading 1 1 MC 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63

[From the descendants of Alexander’s officers]
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirty seven
of the kingdom of the Greeks.

In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
“Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.”
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing.

Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.

On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel.

Responsorial Psalm PS 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158

R. (see 88) Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked
who forsake your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me,
your law I have not forgotten.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may keep your precepts.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors
who are far from your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.

Alleluia JN 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 18:35-43

As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me!”
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
“What do you want me to do for you?”
He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”
Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.