By f. Luis Casasús, General Superior of the Idente missionaries, Paris, October 28, 2018, XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Book of Jeremiah 31,7-9; Letter to the Hebrews 5,1-6; Saint Mark 10,46-52)
Every time I think of the points of our Mystical Examination…I feel it is an understatement to call them points. They represent a comprehensive picture of our relationship with the divine persons. Taking a closer look at Bartimaeus today, we understand what our Founder and all the mystics call Aspiration.
Nothing is known about the life of this blind man; probably he had been blind for many years since he was a young man or for all his life. But the important thing is that he realized that something (or rather, someone) especial was attracting him. And he was docile to the dynamic push behind the resolution to reach the absolute. This is aspiration, inhaling the love and moving along the path that love opens up in us.
In simple words, the human heart’s deepest aspiration is the desire to love and be loved. Man has been created by love and for love and only in love can he grow and be fruitful.
Allow me to use a very poor metaphor: when you seriously realize you are in love with a person (I am not talking about a whim) and this is a mutual feeling, you experience a euphoria, a rapture, an unbridled joy telling you that whatever you do in your life, your whole existence, will revolve around this love. This feeling can either be obstructed or nurtured, you can be consistent or incoherent with it, but you will never forget that moment and this experience will teach you a great deal about yourself. It is more than a desire or a wish. The point here is that this feeling does not depend only on you, on your heart; it is shaped by another person.
When Bartimaeus hears all the commotion around him, he is faithful and consistent with this impulse or aspiration, deeper than mere knowledge or desire. His defects, his weakness and the opposition of people are unable to stop the supernatural urge that invades him.
The people around Bartimaeus can certainly give him money, food or clothing, but our Heavenly Father wants to change us from inside out, He want to touch on the root not the branches of our lives, He wants to gives sight, not a pair of glasses.
In fact, this aspiration is more than a vocation or an invitation. To be aspired is something really violent, like the suction of a tornado or the force of a strong whirl of water. This is what happened to Bartimaeus, forcing him to jump up, to cast aside his cloak and to run after Jesus.
When we get to the low points in our lives, it is often that we realize that we so desperately need God. We have witnessed how the helplessness experienced by those who are dying and the people close to them becomes an opportunity to grow in faith and hope. While the approach of death may bring intense suffering, if a dying person clings to God, what seems senseless acquires meaning and value.
We must be attentive because being immersed in this aspiration may happen in very tough times, as occurs with Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are very challenging and at first glance they are too daunting. But the fact remains, Jesus calls us to aspire to them. We experience this aspiration when surprisingly, we find ourselves focused only in our mission and we are not tempted or distracted by the obstacles of the world or our own weakness and ignorance. It is a true and deep change of identity; as psychologists advise: Do not identify with what you know but how you grow.
In fact, this is what St. John of the Cross says in his Spiritual Canticle:
And this aspiration of the Holy Spirit in the soul with which God transforms it into himself is to her of such a high and delicate and profound delight, that there is no saying it by mortal language, …
Our Mather Mary, in her Magnificat, gives a poetic description of these powerful moments of aspiration, when our vision of life is radically changed:
He has looked with favor on his humble servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed,
the Almighty has done great things for me.
And this is also the message of assurance and confidence in the First Reading: I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. In our Trisagio, we express the “bipolarity” of our aspiration by saying: Pray for us sinners, so that we may be saints. We collaborate with God’s grace by acknowledging our temptations, our distractions, our doubts, and by allowing Christ to pray for us, with us, and in us. Our aspiration involves a profound consolation: that there is nothing in our lives that God cannot use as a means of salvation; we are forgiven and loved unconditionally.
The summit of divine aspiration was stated by the Son of God: Father, let your Will be done.
It is important to insist on the leading role of the Holy Spirit; otherwise, in the face of trials, misunderstanding or opposition, even if we had some intimate encounter with God, we become disillusioned and disheartened. This is highlighted in the Second Reading: No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”.
It is Christ who call us and also it is the Holy Spirit who determines the moments when our misery and wretchedness are left, wrapped in our old cloak…to start running after Jesus.
Bartimaeus had a vision to not only recognize his physical blindness, but his profound need for God in his life, because Christ, in sharing our human nature, has a deep understanding of our needs. Here is an endearing anecdote:
Pope St. John Paul II fell ill between two of his pastoral travels. Doctors ordered him to rest in bed, but he was insistent that God had entrusted him with the mission to shepherd the people of this world to a closer union with God. When he decided to get up and resume his travels – which many thought was too soon – one of the nursing sisters entrusted with his medical care protested that he should set aside this mission and return to bed; she explained her concern saying: I am worried about Your Holiness, to which he replied: I too, am worried about my holiness.
Of course, Saint John Paul II was not playing on words. I do not know how the dialogue ended, but the important thing here is that holy Pope possible personal weaknesses became secondary, almost irrelevant upon the divine call. And this is an essential feature of aspiration.
Bartimaeus was a beggar by profession, he knew his territory, the best locations, the most appealing approach, the way to win favor rather than rebuke, the way to be seen yet not be obnoxious. He was an expert; so he knew how to approach Christ: Have mercy on me. That is: I need help. He appealed first for Christ’s attention by asking for His mercy. And then he just asked for the one thing he knew was most important: his sight. He also had many other problems like us. But he knew if God could touch the one core thing, that deliverance would lead to the others.
There is more that we can learn from Bartimaeus’ story:
* He really wanted to get Jesus’ attention and he continues to call out even more loudly: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Remember, Christ tells us to keep on asking. We all are beggars. The young rich man was not aware of his radical poverty; we have nothing that is really ours.
* If we open our eyes wide enough, then we will know that God has sent people into our lives to encourage us: Courage, get up, he is calling you. He too is saying these words to us through our friends, or when we read the Word of God.
* Call him over here, says Jesus. We might reflect today on the people who have directly or indirectly brought Christ into our lives: parents, family, friends, teachers, books, sharings,…. At the same time, there are people waiting to hear Jesus’ call through us. It is through others that we are constantly being called. Let us give thanks for their lives.
* At the end of the narrative, we see Bartimaeus following Jesus on the road, on the Way. He was called to make his life a living sacrifice for others: I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Rom 12:1). Can we share with others what our Father has done for us? The proclamation of the Good News is not reduced to doctrines and rituals but truly good news that those who receive it are liberated and healed.
Tips to make the most of the Holy Mass
- 13. The Invitation to Communion. When he sees Jesus walking by, John the Baptist points him out to his own disciples: Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The here is has a sense to it of look or pay attention or behold.
Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb: The Last Supper, the Lord’s Supper and the Lamb’s Supper.
The Last Supper is that meal Jesus shared with his disciples the night before he died. During it he gave us the Mass and Holy Communion commanding us to celebrate it in his memory.
The Lord’s Supper’ is another name that can be used for the Last Supper. Also it can be used as a title for the Mass itself. As we fulfil his command we are made present to his saving work. In recalling the words Jesus said at that Supper we understand that we share in the offering of Jesus’ life on the Cross, his sacrifice, and we are joined to his resurrection and glorious ascension.
The Lamb’s Supper comes from the book of Revelation (Chapter 19 verse 9) where it is called a marriage supper. This marriage feast or supper is alluded to in some of the parables of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven. It is the great feast of celebration in heaven, it is the gift of heaven itself.
Lord, I am not worthy. When the centurion confessed to Jesus that he was unworthy to receive him under his roof — into his house — it was not because things were a bit untidy or in need of a touch of paint. He understood his own unworthiness to receive the Lord on a visit to heal his sick servant (see Matthew Chapter 8).
In the Middle Ages when the priest brought Holy Communion to the housebound they welcomed Jesus into their homes repeating these same words of the centurion. They were not apologising for dirty paintwork or broken furniture. They were admitting their unworthiness that the Lord should enter under their roof, let alone the home of their hearts. They recognized they did not deserve so great a guest even as they realized they needed him and gladly welcomed him. A quite natural development included this line in the Mass for us all.
As I echo the words of the centurion about my unworthiness to welcome Jesus I do not simply ask for forgiveness but healing. I admit that I am a sinner in need of the healing touch of Jesus to mend my life so that I may amend it. In receiving him in Communion I admit my weakness and my need of this medicinal nourishment.
Under my roof. This can help me think of how Jesus makes his home in me as I must make mine in him. I must make him welcome, listen to him and wait upon him as Martha and Mary did when they welcomed Jesus under their roof. It can lead me to think of how I take Christ with me as I leave Mass to bring him, in my heart, into the heart of my home. He is to be that silent, unseen guest under my roof. I have received him in Holy Communion and I must be aware that he comes with me in my daily life.
