Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

May 27, 2021 , Thursday
Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 350


Reading I
Sir 42:15-25

Now will I recall God’s works;
    what I have seen, I will describe.
At God’s word were his works brought into being;
    they do his will as he has ordained for them.
As the rising sun is clear to all,
    so the glory of the LORD fills all his works;
Yet even God’s holy ones must fail
    in recounting the wonders of the LORD,
Though God has given these, his hosts, the strength
    to stand firm before his glory.
He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart;
    their innermost being he understands.
The Most High possesses all knowledge,
    and sees from of old the things that are to come:
He makes known the past and the future,
    and reveals the deepest secrets.
No understanding does he lack;
    no single thing escapes him.
Perennial is his almighty wisdom;
    he is from all eternity one and the same,
With nothing added, nothing taken away;
    no need of a counselor for him!
How beautiful are all his works!
    even to the spark and fleeting vision!
The universe lives and abides forever;
    to meet each need, each creature is preserved.
All of them differ, one from another,
    yet none of them has he made in vain,
For each in turn, as it comes, is good;
    can one ever see enough of their splendor?


Responsorial Psalm
33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R.    (6a)  By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
    with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
    pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.

R.    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

For upright is the word of the LORD
    and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
    of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R.    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made;
    by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;
    in cellars he confines the deep.

R.    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all who dwell in the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it was made;
    he commanded, and it stood forth.

R.    By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.


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
Mk 10:46-52

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:

Bartimaeus was an irritation to the crowd; they asked him to keep quiet, they were embarrassed by the attention he was drawing. Might there be some part of me that I prefer to keep silent? I lead all my needs be given expression as I am here in prayer.

I listen to Jesus speak to me as he spoke to Bartimaeus. He asks, ‘What do you want me to do for you?'

PRAYER:

Lord, I sometimes open my eyes in the morning, and do not notice the sunshine, the green of trees, the colours in my room, the warmth or sorrow in the faces around me. If I had been blind, like Bartimaeus in today's gospel, I would long to open my eyes and see all that is to be seen. I could not have enough of this light-filled world around me.




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