Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B
October 29, 2006
Gathering
Opening Song Eye Has Not Seen Music Quest
Opening Prayer
Terry: The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom do I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom am I afraid?
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
These my enemies and foes
themselves stumble and fall.
One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the Lord’s house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the Lord’s beauty,
to visit his temple.
Lord, show me your way;
lead me on a level path.
I believe that I shall enjoy the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!
Excerpt from Psalm 27
Review of life:
What are you feeling as we come to the end of daylight saving time and the darkness comes
sooner in the day? How does this change make a difference in your life?
Where have you seen Christ's presence (or his absence) in your life in the past two weeks?
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
Commentary "Blindness"
Eyesight is one of our most precious possessions. What would our world be like if we
were blind? How much would our life be diminished without vision? Think how fearsome the
dark becomes the less clearly we can see. Any impairment to sight makes us apprehensive; we
likely become nervous at being blindfolded. Our hearts go out to the blind, as does Jesus in the
reading from Mark. We need thank God every day for the gift of vision.
But while our eyesight may be good, there is a blindness that can afflict us that is
potentially worse than physical blindness because of its capacity to stifle our growth and
happiness. This blindness prevents us from seeing things as they really are. It is the inability,
for example, to appreciate the magnitude of our own shortcomings while we are busy criticizing
the petty faults of others. The human heart can be soft and sentimental but it can also be as hard
as stone. “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Some Pharisees, for example,
were steadfast in their opposition to Jesus. They couldn’t “see” the miracles he performed, nor
could they envision the possibility that God would ever support Jesus in his claims. Clarity of
sight depends on openness of heart.
Most arguments we get into are frustrating not because we don’t have good points to
make, but because we blind ourselves to where our opponents are coming from. Consider the
expressions most used in disputes: “You don’t know what you are talking about!” :”Who made
you an expert? “Are you blind?” “I don’t want to hear it!” “Who are you to talk?” Frustration
arises not from being unable to keep up our side of an argument, but from being close-minded,
“blind,” to a possible truth in someone else’s point of view.
A blind beggar asks Jesus not for money, but for vision. “Master, let me receive my
sight.” When he received it, Mark lets us know, the beggar began to follow Jesus. Blindness of
heart can be the single biggest impediment to faithfully following in the footsteps of Christ. A
closed mind can also keep us stuck in self-damaging ruts and set us up for all kinds of
unnecessary stress. Perhaps we need to ask a favor of the Lord, like the blind beggar: better
vision, that is, becoming more alert to our biases, more flexible in our “stands,” and more
sympathetic to viewpoints contrary to our own.
We may also need to pray for better vision in evaluating ourselves and what we’re doing
with our lives. All of us have blind spots. They’re harmful to us and jeopardize our happiness
precisely because we don’t, or can’t, see them. And because spiritual blindness can be an
incurable affliction, we may have to ask the Lord for a miracle. A simple and beautiful prayer
we can borrow from the blind man in the reading, may be our lifeline to an improved and more
effective life for ourselves: “Lord, that I may see.”
Are you able to see where you’re falling short in your spiritual development? Are you
open to suggestions and constructive criticism? Can you perceive where you’re being
dogmatic and opinionated, and how damaging it may be to your relationships? Do you
grasp how your prejudices lock you out of enriching experiences and alienate you from
people who could bring more fullness to your experience of life? Develop a love for
truth. Make honesty and integrity ruling principles in your life. Acknowledge a human
propensity to blind spots. Pray for vision and insight.
Michael R. Kent
Questions for Reflection
1.
Describe an experience of walking in darkness. What was it like for you? How did you
feel your way along? What was it that brought light into the darkness?
2.
3.
4.
How aware are you of those who sit in darkness by the side of the road; i.e., family
members, people in your local community, or in far off places throughout the world.
“What do you want me to do for you?” If Jesus asked you this question today, what
would you request?
What have you/we learned as a church and as a small church community about the
importance of not ignoring victims? How can we be more aware of their presence in our
midst and respond to their cry?
The "So What" question
Any insights gleaned from the small group sharing? What difference will this make
when I go home to my family, my workplace, the neighborhood, the way I relate to the poor?
Shared Prayer God of the Future from In God’s Presence by William Cleary
Response In Action
1.
Spend time with someone you know is going through a hard time. Let your presence be a
reminder that he or she is not in the darkness alone.
2.
Identify someone in the parish who gets overlooked, and greet him or her after Mass.
Start a conversation.
3.
Be a light for others. Contribute to a center which trains guidedogs for the blind.
Become a foster family to help raise a guide dog puppy until the dog is ready to be
trained. Visit http://www.guidedog.org/
4.
Set aside twenty minutes some day this week for reflection and prayer. Slow down. Let
the busyness of the day, the week, settle. Listen to what is going on inside you. After
some minutes, begin to pray repetitively, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Having
repeated this prayer again and again for several minutes, then simply rest in quiet the
remainder of the time.
5.
Please visit http://www.thehungersite.com
At this site, you may click on an icon and for no cost to you, you will be feeding the
hungry in the world. You may click once a day.
Business
Our next meeting is Nov.7th. It will be for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time –Cycle
B. Would anyone (or two) like to prepare it?
Sending Forth and Closing Prayer
Any intentions to be prayed for in the upcoming weeks?
Terry: O God, you are light shining in our darkness.
We ask you to watch over your family gathered here.
In your mercy and loving kindness
no thought of ours is left unguarded,
no tear unheeded, no joy unnoticed.
Help us to see clearly the path of Jesus your Son.
Lead us along his way,
that we may gaze upon you in the light of your kingdom.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
All:
Amen.
Closing song We Walk by Faith Music Quest
Eye Has Not Seen
Refrain:
Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love him. Spirit of love,
come, give us the mind of Jesus; teach us the wisdom of God.
When pain and sorrow weigh us down, be near to us, O Lord; forgive the weakness of our faith,
and bear us up within your peaceful word.
Our lives are but a single breath, we flower and we fade; yet all our days are in your hands, so
we return in love what love has made.
To those who see with eyes of faith, the Lord is ever near, reflected in the faces of all the poor
and lowly of the world.
We sing a myst’ry from the past in halls where saints have trod; yet ever new the music rings to
Jesus, living Song of God.
We Walk by Faith
We walk by faith, and not by sight: no gracious words we hear of him who spoke as none e’er
spoke, but we believe him near.
We may not touch his hands and side, nor follow where he trod; yet in his promise we rejoice,
and cry “My Lord and God!”
Help then, O Lord, our unbelief, and may our faith abound; to call on you when you are near and
seek where you are found;
That when our life of faith is done in realms of clearer light we may behold you as you are in full
and endless sight.