WHAT MARVELS THE LORD HAS WORKED FOR US
Good Sunday to you. What are some of the marvels that God has done in your life? Can you recall them as clearly as the day? And do you continue to rejoice, exult & give thanks to the Lord?
I really love the 1st Reading from Jeremiah 31:7-9, for in it, we see the prophetic word of the marvellous works of the Lord saving His people, restoring their lives, comforting & consoling them after they had been through a literal hell of exile, suffering & humiliation. The beauty about this is restoration is not just for a select few, but for many & all, including those dispersed, distanced, scattered & separated from their homeland; the blind & the lame; women with child & women in labour. Why does the Lord do this for His people, if not because of His great love for them? In fact, the loving & tender words of God conveyed in Jeremiah 31:3 (not cited in today’s reading) speak eloquently to our heart: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
In our Gospel today from Mark 10:46-52, we encounter the healing of the blind beggar Bartimaeus, who cried out from the depths of his being, with all the faith he could muster, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” He was not going to stop calling on Jesus, though the people around hm scolded him & tried to silence him – No way! In fact, he cried all the louder! His persistence & faith saved the day, when Jesus called him & asked him with compassion, mercy & love, “What do you want me to do for you?” He expressed his need simply: “Master, let me see again.” That was good enough for Jesus & He healed Bartimaeus.
How does this healing of Bartimaeus touch your heart today? For sure, you are not blind & visually challenged. But then, what weighs heavily on your heart, causing you grief, pain & heartache? Physical illness & disease, financial woes, failed relationships, rejection, loneliness, feelings of regret & abandonment, mental & emotional problems, etc? Whatever you are faced with, today, Jesus is reaching out to you lovingly & asking you, as he had asked Bartimaeus: “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?” Will you throw off your cloak, the only thing that you possess, that keeps you safe & secure (or so you think), jump up & go to Jesus with faith & ask him “MASTER, LET ME / HELP ME …”? Will you cry out to Jesus with faith & trust like never before? Or will you conclude that your problem is impossible to solve, you can’t be helped, God doesn’t care for you, make excuses why you don’t want to approach Jesus & just give up?
Again, I ask: What is your response to Jesus?
Psalm 126, our Responsorial Psalm this Sunday, sings of the great rejoicing & gladness of the people after the return of the exiles from the Babylonian captivity. It portrays the joyful, laughter & songs of the people who had been through great trial & suffering & have now been delivered & restored. The night of tears has now given way to the joy of a new dawn, mourning has been turned in dancing, clothing of sackcloth replaced with garments of joy, as David declared in Psalm 30 Verse 6 & 12. Let us, then, beloved children of God, likewise rejoice in the saving love of God, & declare with the Psalmist in today’s Response: “What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad” (cf Psalm 126:3). God loves you!
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead