HOMILY FOR 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

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HOMILY FOR 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

HOMILY THEME: “SON OF DAVID, JESUS, HAVE MERCY ON ME”

BY: Fr Cyril Unachukwu CCE

Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52

The road to success is never without obstacles. In fact, success is an uphill task and to aim at it involves a certain form of resilient spirit that sensibly always insists on trying and on keeping firm the resolution to make a difference aided by the grace of God. Only with such a disposition can one build a solid and formidable foundation for success. Also, only with such a disposition can one attract the most beautiful and resplendent countenance of God, without which every human effort is disoriented. In our daily struggles to succeed and make a difference, may the Light of God never depart from our path; Amen.

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The Gospel Reading (Mark 10:46-52) presents us with that beautiful encounter between the blind Bartimaeus and our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth is, in the midst of all our struggles, we are confronted with many opportunities in life, some of which we fail to realise and utilise. The story of Bartimaeus is that of a man who saw an opportunity to make a permanent difference in his life. He did not fail to utilise that opportunity, despite all odds. It is one thing to find oneself in a very precarious condition. It is also another thing to discover the opportunities that abound around us and to transform them to our benefit and to the greater glory of God. The resoluteness of Bartimaeus, inspired by his faith in Christ, to change his living condition fetched him the healing remedies of Christ. Between his repeated and insistent cry for help “Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me” and the response of Christ “go; your faith has saved you”, we see that thin line between our pitiable human condition and the favourable intervention of God’s grace. The meeting point is always the sincerely willing human heart that is always open to the expression of love of the ever-present God. Only such a willing and open heart can discover the opportunities which God places on our paths. Only such a heart can facilitate a personal experience of the presence of God in our midst. Also, only such a heart can withstand and overcome the obstacles that present themselves to us in varied forms on our path to success. Likewise, only such a heart disposes us to form part of those who will experience the compassionate presence of God when all seems to be lost as we read in the prophetic words of Jeremiah in the First Reading (Jer 31:7-9); “I will comfort them as I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water, by a smooth path where they will not stumble.”

Bartimaeus may have been physically blind, but he was rich in the possession of such a heart for which from a distance, he was able to connect to the power of God on transit in the person of Jesus the Christ and followed Him afterwards. Every encounter with Christ transforms us into followers of Christ and as such missionaries to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This was the case with Bartimaeus as “he followed Jesus along the road.” Following Jesus is a fruit of our cooperation with the grace of God in our lives; the type of grace that restored the sight of Bartimaeus. The truth remains that no one takes this honour on himself or herself (Hebrews 5:1-6); rather it is a completely gratuitous gift of God that relies on our human cooperation for its fruition. On a day like this, we remind ourselves of one of our most fundamental identities as Christians; ‘we are missionaries’. By virtue of our Baptism through which we diversely partake in the one Priesthood of Christ, we are all called to be missionaries in different ways. Our Mission involves sharing with others the good News we have heard and experienced in our lives. Wherever we find ourselves, we are missionaries of God’s compassion and love; especially in our families, in the Church and in the society at large. We are called to spread the fragrance of God’s presence in our vicinities and to lead people to make personal experiences of what we ourselves have heard and seen. However, let us always remember that personal experience of the Lord, like Bartimaeus did, is at the heart of every successful missionary endeavour and witnessing to the mercy and love of God, because it is impossible to give that which you don’t have.

Lord, guide us always to discover all the opportunities You give us and to utilise them for our good and to the greater glory of Your name. May the beautiful experiences of Your presence in our midst transform us into fruitful and concrete witnesses of Your love and mercy wherever we find ourselves; Amen. Happy Sunday.

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