Daily Gospel Reflection

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October 27, 2024

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mk 10:46-52
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As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

Reflection

Heather (Keane) Cooksey ’08
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The year after I graduated from Notre Dame, I participated in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where I learned about a method of prayer called Ignatian Contemplation. An imaginative form of prayer, Ignatian Contemplation calls us to immerse ourselves in a scripture passage, engaging all our senses as we visualize ourselves as a person in the story or perhaps a bystander watching the scene unfold.

My first experience praying in this way was with this gospel story. Although I had this prayer experience over 15 years ago, I can still vividly picture it. I imagined myself as Bartimaeus. I was sitting on the side of a dry, dusty road, unable to see yet keenly aware of the many noises, the bright, warm sun, and the chaos of the crowd surrounding me. There was a sense of urgency that heightened as Jesus came nearer. I heard someone telling me to “take courage” and another to “be brave”—a refrain I still repeat to myself today in moments of anxiety or unease. And then, at last, I felt a presence and knew I was face-to-face with Jesus. I heard him clearly ask me, “What do you want me to do for you?”

What a powerful experience to feel Jesus no more than an arm’s reach away, asking what I need! This is the intimacy Jesus desires with each one of us.

As we begin a new week, let’s reflect on what in our lives, or our hearts, is currently making us “blind” — what is preventing us from being able to see Jesus right in front of us? Amidst the chaos of our daily lives, how would we respond if Jesus were to stop, sit next to us, and ask: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Prayer

Rev. William Simmons, C.S.C.+

A lonely and desperate man sits by the roadside. Blind now, he must depend on people offering him money to live by. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” springs both from the heart in praise of this famous teacher, as well as hope. The crowd wants him to be still, but he repeats his request. Then, the message from Jesus: “Come here.” His savior called. Let us pray. “Have mercy, Lord, have mercy! Forgive my failure, my weakness, my fear, my indifference. Let me trust in your care, know my true needs, and pray for help living my life responsibly. I cannot but rejoice in your answer to this tattered beggar, “Come here!” The favor he could only dream of is given to him. He sees once again. While the group moves on, this beggar comes at the back of them, walking with tears of joy and thanksgiving. Praise the Lord!

Saint of the Day

St. Frumentius

When St. Frumentius visited the famous St. Athanasius to ask him to send priests and bishops to Ethiopia, Athanasius told him to go himself, and ordained him on the spot.

Frumentius was born in Tyre (what is now Lebanon) and was sent with a friend to live with a philosopher to receive an education. Around the year 330, their teacher decided to travel the known world, and he took the two boys with him.

When their ship wrecked near modern-day Ethiopia, the native people attacked the travelers—all but the two boys were killed, including their teacher. The boys were captured and taken to the king of the region.

The king was impressed with their learning and commanded them to serve his court. The two served the royal family for years, and when the king died they were granted their freedom. The queen asked them to remain to assist in the management of the kingdom until her sons were old enough to reign, and they both decided to stay.

When her sons came of age, Frumentius and his friend were faced with a decision to leave. His friend returned to Tyre, but Frumentius felt called to spread the faith through Ethiopia. He went to the bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, a center of power and learning in the Church, and asked the great St. Athanasius to send pastors. Athanasius immediately recognized that no one would be better suited to the job than Frumentius—he ordained the missionary and sent him instead.

Frumentius went back to Ethiopia and brought many to the faith by his preaching and miracles. Ten years after his return, Christianity was named the official state religion of the kingdom. Even the royal household was baptized—they are still honored as saints in the Ethiopian Church. Frumentius was known as “our father” and “father of peace.”

St. Matthew is said to have first evangelized Ethiopia, but Frumentius is known as the apostle to that nation because of his effectiveness in converting people to the faith. It is said that the early diocese of Louisiana observed the feast of St. Frumentius in the 1700s, possibly as an acknowledgment of the Africans enslaved there.

St. Frumentius, who survived shipwreck and evangelized a nation, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Frumentius is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 4, 2024.