The Blind Man at Bethsaida

GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES.

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During the remainder of 2018, each week, I will write a weekly post about the Gospel of Mark, as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season.  In today's post, we explore chapter 8: 22-2 which is called The Blind Man at Bethsaida.

THE BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA
The people ask Jesus to touch a blind man.  He does this, but secretly and in three stages, putting saliva on his eyes, laying hands on him, and laying hands on his eyes again.  Only after the third touch does the blinds man see clearly.

By this story at Bethsaida Mark leads towards the conclusion of the missionary journeys of Jesus (6:6-30), and prepares us for the central episdoe of his Gospel, which immediately follows., on the true identity of Jesus.

The healing of a deaf and dumb man ( 7:31-37) reminds us that to share as disciples in the mission of Jesus we need to hear what Jesus really says and share it with others.  The healing of this blind man tell us that true disciples need to see the divine power that Jesus bring to the world, and to see this not in a confused way but clearly.

Mark uses this story of the blind man to introduce the theme of blindness in the disciples, as Jesus forms them with difficulty in this ways, a formation that comes to a climax with the dramatic cure of another blind man, Bartimaeus at Jericho (10:46-52).

The healing of the  blind man is a stranger story because Jesus cures his blinds in three stages.  The apparent lack of power in Jesus may be why the other Gospels omit this story.

The blind man's two stages of seeing, however, prepare us for the two ways of naming Jesus in the following passage (8:27-30).  The three touches by Jesus anticipate his repeated efforts to enlighten his disciples and form them as disciples by three passion prophecies in the part of Mark's Gospel (8:31-10:52).

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

·         Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage
      of scripture?

·         Imagine that you are the blindman of Bethsaida.  What do you see and hear and 
      feel?   What can I learn from this?

·          How does the question of Jesus in this passage resonate with you? 

      What would you  say?

·          How would we respond to Jesus regarding our blindness and sight?

·        Reflect on my relationship with Jesus and this teaching in the light of this gospel 

      passage. 

·         What impact does Jesus’ teaching have on you (8:22-26)?

·          How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally? 

·       If you were to meet a fellow parishioner who was interested in reading gospel of Mark,           what would you say to him/her about this passage?

·      If a fellow parishioner had read this passage, what might he/she say about this passage?

Trinity Sunday Year B

COLLECT SERIES

The Mass Collect series icon.

COLLECT

The Collect for Trinity Sunday reads as follows:

God our Father, who by sending into the world 

the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification

made known to the human race your wondrous mystery

grant us we pray, that in professing the true faith,

we may acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory

and adore Your Unity, powerful in majesty.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What is my relationship with God the Father?

2. What is my relationship with God the Son?

3. What is my relationship with God the Holy Spirit?

4.  How does this feast impact my faith this week?

5. How can I improve my knowledge of the true faith so I can profess it in a deeper way?

6. What prayer of praise will I make on this feast to praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today is the solemnity of the Trinity or Trinity Sunday.  The feast celebrates essentially the oneness of God yet 3 persons- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is a feast of praise to the Triuune God. It was first celebrated as a feast in the 9th century in the monasteries but it was not until 14th century that the solemnity was celebrated by the entire Western Church.

Shamrock to represent the Trinity.

Shamrock to explain Trinity.

The concept of 3 persons yet one God is a mystery and yet it is something as Catholics we believe in faith.  St Patrick explained it using the image of the shamrock- 3 leaves yet one shamrock. Others have written and spoken about this feast to try and explain it.  It is a feast of mystery and of faith.  We need to embrace both.

Whatever you do this Trinity Sunday just take an extra moment as you bless yourself with the sign of the Cross

                                      In the name of the Father

                                     And of the Son

                                     and of the Holy Spirit.

and think about it as you do it.  

Let it be one of your prayer of Praise for the Trinity today.

Pentecost Sunday

Happy Birthday to all believers.

PENTECOST

This feast marks the 50 days of Easter and the closing of Eastertide as a liturgical season, and the birth of the Church.  So, Pentecost is the Church's birthday- ours too as Christians.

God is three persons- Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet one God.  This is a mystery.  However, we can in our prayer life tap into all three persons. Most of us tend to communicate with God as Father or Jesus as His Son. 

However, this feast reminds us that Jesus did not leave us orphans when He ascended to Heaven- He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us until the end of time.  Yet, sadly, the Holy Spirit can be forgotten and/or ignored in our spiritual lives.  Yet, He has many special gifts to offer us.  We can have a very special intimate relationship with Him, just as we do with Jesus and with Father God.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

So, we might like to take some time to reflect on my relationship with the Holy Spirit.  Some reflective questions may include:

1. What is my relationship with the Holy Spirit? 

2. How does the Holy Spirit work in my life?  

3. How will I use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring Christ to the world this week?  

4. Do I know my faith adequately to be able to teach the gospel to one other person? If not, what steps might I take to change this?  

5. What areas in my life has the risen Christ renewed during Eastertide and how might the Spirit assist you to continue this renewal for the remainder of the year?  

6. How might I live in the power of the Holy Spirit in my life?

We may also want to reflect on the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and how they operate in our lives. 

Traditions/customs associated with Pentecost Sunday  

Fruit Salad is often used as a dessert for Pentecost Sunday. It is made from 12 fruits to represent the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit which are: Charity, Generosity, Joy, Gentleness, Peace, Faithfulness, Patience, Modesty, Kindness, Self-Control, Goodness and Chasity.

The fruit salad can be made using both dried fruits such as currants, raisins, dates and tinned fruits as well as fresh fruits. These are then combined with a syrup made with sugar and water and perhaps a dash of your favorite liqueur.

Another name for Pentecost Sunday is its traditional name' Whitsunday' which commemorated the white robes worn by the newly baptized on this day.  Two other traditional desserts served therefore are white food-meringues or a sponge cake topped with white icing to represent the white robes worn by newly baptized.

Regardless of whether you choose these traditional Pentecost desserts or not, it is important to remember that a new chapter began at Pentecost, and the Apostles started to take the Gospel of salvation to the whole world.  This is also our task.  Pentecost ends the liturgical season of Eastertide, but it marks the birthday of the Church.  

We may wish to pause and say a prayer of thanks in gratitude for the person/people who taught us our faith and have helped us on our spiritual journey.  We may wish to reflect on how we came into the Church.  I was baptized as a young baby- a cradle catholic.  I thank my parents and godparents for bringing me into the family of the Church. However, at some point, we have to make our own decision to follow Christ and take our faith seriously.  This is the journey we all make each in our unique way.  The Holy Spirit is in this journey with us too.

The message of Easter and of the Church is not something meant to be kept to ourselves, rather it is the glorious news that we must take to everyone : the love of God, the forgiveness of sins, and the redemption of the human race.    

As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, let us be filled and renewed by the Holy Spirit.  We may wish to make the commitment to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit and to pray each day at least one prayer to the Holy Spirit such as: 

''Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful 

and enkindle in them the fire of Your love".

May the Holy Spirit bless you abundantly.

Ascension of Our Lord

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD.

Where He has gone, We Hope to follow.

COLLECT 

The Collect for the Ascension of the Lord in Year B is as follows:

Gladden us with holy joys, Almighty God,

and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving,

for the Ascension of Christ Your Son is our exaltation,

and where the Head has gone before in glory,

the Body is called to follow in hope. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged.

1. Why am I asking God to gladden me with holy joys?
2. Why should I rejoice with devout thanksgiving on this Solemnity?
3. What does the Solemnity of the feast of the Ascension mean to me?
4. How will this Solemnity affect this coming week in my life?
5. How will I prepare my spiritual plan for this coming week?
6. How might I live in the glory and hope of the ascension this week? 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The Ascension of The Lord is essentially a feast of Hope since we can look forward to eternal life.  We Music however, not sit on our hands and wait.  Christ has given us His command and we need to live lives worthily, so that we can enter through the narrow gate. 

The other beautiful aspect of the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord is that Christ goes back to Heaven- we feel His Absence and yet He lives on here on earth in the presence of each of us.   Are we always aware of His presence to us?   How are we going to make His presence known to others?

The four-fold command of Christ to His disciples is a command to us and gives us a mission- a focus. 

• Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations,
• baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
• Teach them to observe all the commands I gave you
• Know that I am with you until the end of time.

So how can we make disciples of all the nations?   We need to be ready with our answer should someone asks us for our reason for our belief.  Most of us can evangelize others by not even saying a word- it is by example of the lives we lead.  

Evangelization does not have to be difficult.  If we  are trying our best to live good Christian lives,  other people will be attracted to it. Then when a casual question or conversation occurs, it may be our time to speak.  More importantly it  is a time to listen, since it is the question of the enquirer that is important.  As the journey unfolds, then there will be a time for them to want to be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit.  This will be God's timing, not ours, since it is God who is leading the person to Himself.  Then as their journey continues, it is time for learning and teaching ( RCIA for example is part of the process), and as catholic pilgrims on the journey, we need to remember and encourage each other in our struggles knowing that Jesus is with us always.

So yes, the feast of the Ascension is a feast of hope of future glory. We need to have this hope in our hearts and try to live our lives now with this future glory in mind. Next week, it will be  Pentecost Sunday.   However, in the light of today's Solemnity, we can start to get ready this week with hope in our hearts and future glory in mind and examine our lives right now. We can then decide and prepare our own personal spiritual plan for the remainder of the year.

What will we do with Christ's 4 fold command this coming week in our family, parish, workplace and neighbourhood?

Dangers from Religion and Politics: Gospel of Mark series

GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES.

Welcome again to my Gospel of Mark Series. 

I have not written for this series since January 2015, but as I am half way through Mark’s Gospel, I am determined to recommit to this series, and in the process gain a fuller understanding of Mark's Gospel. So why recommit to the writing of this series now you might wonder?  

I was at Mass during the week and it was the feast day of St Mark.  During Mass, my mind wandered for a few moments and wondered about this series.  I knew I had not finished it completely. I committed myself during Mass to complete it.  The second reason also occurred to me in Mass.  We are also liturgically in Year B on Sundays- the Year of Mark.  More importantly, my purpose is not only share my study of Mark, but to invite us to read a personal meaning into it from the situation of one's own lives.  

 So, with these reasons in mind, let us begin again with the Gospel of Mark Series.

During the remainder of 2018, each week, I will write a weekly Tuesday post about the Gospel of Mark, as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season.  In today's post, we explore chapter 8: 14-21 which is called Dangers from Religion and Politics.

DANGER FROM RELIGION AND POLITICS.

It is not only the Pharisees who fail to understand (8:11-13). The disciples too, who are with Jesus always in journey and observe all He does and says, do not yet understand who Jesus is and what is the power He brings into the world.

In this passage, Jesus points to the lack of understanding in his disciples.  They fail to grasp the real meaning of His words and actions as they travel with Him in His journeys.  The disciples need to guard themselves against the same evil motives and dispositions, or 'leaven', which Jesus sees in the Pharisees and the Herodians.

The leaven of the Pharisees is contentment with their limited interpretation of God's law and their narrow religious practices, and so they fail to see the power God in the works and words of Jesus. The leaven of the Herodians is probably their abuse of political power, failing to respect the dignity of people and the justice due to others.

The dispositions and motivations for their lives, which Jesus desires for his disciples, will be very different, neither trusting in limiting views of God's law and religious practice as the Pharisees do, nor becomes slaves to selfish ambitiousness for political power, like the Herodians.

When Jesus crossed the lake after the first meal in the desert, there was an argument with the Pharisees (7:1-23) and a discussion about bread ( 7:24-30).  Likewise, when He crosses the lake after the second meal, there is again an argument with the Pharisees (8:11-13) and now in in this passage a discussion about bread (8:14-21).

Jesus challenges his uncomprehending disciples to a deeper level of faith in His person with one question after another.  The bread that they really need is what Jesus offers in all he does and says.  It is the power of God to gives live and freedom to people.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

·         Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?

·         Imagine that you are one of the Pharisees and or one of the Herodians.
What do you see and hear and feel. What can I learn from this?

·         How do the questions of Jesus in this passage resonate with you? 

·         How would you respond to Jesus regarding his questions?

·         Reflect on my relationship with Jesus and this teaching in the light of this gospel passage. 

·         What impact does Jesus’ teaching have on you (8:14-21).

·         How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally. 

·         If you were to meet a fellow parishioner who was interested in reading gospel of Mark, what would you say to him/her about this passage?

·         If a fellow parishioner had read this passage, what might he/she say about this passage?