Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 497
Reading 1
1 Macabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
[From the descendants of Alexander's officers]
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirty seven
of the kingdom of the Greeks.
In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
"Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing.
Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.
On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158
R. (see 88) Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked
who forsake your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me,
your law I have not forgotten.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may keep your precepts.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors
who are far from your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Alleluia
John 8:12
R. Allelujia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 18:35-43
As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
A Model for Prayer
As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Luke 18:35–39
This beautiful story of the healing of this blind man, named Bartimaeus in the Gospel of Mark, sets for us a model of how we must come to Jesus in prayer. Bartimaeus and his encounter with Christ is an icon upon which we must meditate so as to imitate him in his weakness, openness, confidence and perseverance.
To begin, this “blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.” We must see this as an ideal image of how to begin our prayer. When we start to pray, we must see our littleness, weakness and extreme poverty in our spiritual life. We come to God with nothing. Unable to see. A beggar. And one who is incapable of meeting our own spiritual needs. This is Bartimaeus, and this must be the way we come to our Lord in prayer. Sometimes we can fall into the illusion that our prayers are so elevated and pious that God must be very impressed. If that’s your struggle, then you are more like the Pharisees. This blind man, however, is the ideal to aim for. So when you begin your prayer, come to our Lord as a spiritually poor and needy beggar.
In this state of humility, just as it happened in this Gospel story, you can be certain that “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” So as you sit in your humble and needy state, wait and be attentive to Jesus passing by. Wait upon His gentle voice, His quiet inspiration, His calming and unmistakable presence.
If you can humble yourself this way and then sense our Lord’s divine presence touching you in some way, then further imitate Bartimaeus by calling out interiorly, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The cry from the depths of your heart in prayer must come as a result of Jesus “passing by.” It must be a response to Him coming to you on His own. As Jesus passes by, spiritually speaking, He waits for you to call to Him. He desires that you call to Him. And He desires that you do it with firm confidence and perseverance.
Notice that as this blind beggar cried out, there were obstacles put in his way. The people “rebuked him, telling him to be silent.” But even this was a gift, because it enabled Bartimaeus to cry out all the more. So also with us, when obstacles arise in our prayer, such as distractions, temptations, a lack of consolation, or any other challenge to our prayer, we must see these obstacles as hurdles that must be overcome. Doing so will deepen our union with Jesus, turning that apparent obstacle into a source of blessing.
Reflect, today, upon these four aspects of a deep prayer life that are presented to us through the witness of this blind beggar. First, ponder your weakness and poverty as you turn to God in prayer. Second, be attentive to the presence of God as He passes by, waiting for you to call to Him. Third, cry out to Him and beg Him to come closer. And fourth, work to overcome every obstacle to prayer and see those obstacles as opportunities to call out to God all the more.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
AMONG OUR GREATEST NEEDS
“A blind man sat at the side of the road begging. Hearing a crowd go by the man asked, ‘What is that?’ The answer came that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.” —Luke 18:35-37
Imagine if you were color-blind and nearsighted with impaired peripheral vision. Could you see? Yes. Would you need healing of your vision? Absolutely. Likewise, we can see spiritually but “we see indistinctly, as in a mirror” (1 Cor 13:12). We should not let the fact that we have some vision keep us from crying out to Jesus for vision good enough to live His abundant life.
If we don’t see God better in our spouse, what chance do we have to persevere in our wedding vows? If we don’t see more deeply into God’s plan, will we ever stop abortion? Until we see with the eyes of our hearts (Eph 1:18) our Eucharistic Lord under the appearances of bread and wine, we will not center our lives to be in communion and go to Communion. This is severe self-deprivation.
Some of us have spent thousands of dollars so that we can see better physically. We have glasses, sunglasses, reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals, contacts, eye drops, and laser surgery to improve our sight physically. It is much more important to see better spiritually. Consequently, cry out to Jesus “all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me!’ ” (Lk 18:39) Pray to Jesus: “Lord, I want to see” (see Lk 18:41).
Prayer: Father, may I follow Your orders exactly so that I will see rightly.
Promise: “Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me Your law I have not forgotten.” —Ps 119:61
Praise: Martin forgave his ex-wife for her unfaithfulness. As she lay on her deathbed, he sat by her side, encouraging her to trust in God and receive His peace.
Reflection 3
By Tom Quinn
Creighton University - retired
As I meditated on the readings it was not difficult to picture, as St. Ignatius indicates in the Spiritual Exercises, the people, surroundings, and circumstances of the readings. We, sadly, are too familiar with times of political, cultural, and religious disagreements that spark strife, violence, and even war. Entire populations today are directly experiencing displacement and death in the Holy Land and other countries. The readings from the first book of Maccabees bring us to a time when Antiochus IV, called Epiphanes or god manifest, was actively trying to supplant Jewish culture with his Greek-influenced culture and religion replete with idols. Antiochus considered himself the personification of Zeus; he erected an idol of Zeus in the Jewish Temple. Not only was the Temple desecrated in this way, but many of the Sacred Scrolls were burned. Judas Maccabeus led the inevitable Jewish revolt.
How can we separate the terminal phrase of today’s readings, “terrible affliction was upon Israel,” from current events? We can learn from the ancient events and pray to God as the Psalmist does: “redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may keep your precepts.” “Give us life, Lord, and I will do your commands.” The events of past and present continuously conflate evoking in my mind unsettling, even terrifying, contemporary images that can dominate my prayer. Today I pray, God help us all; give us life, God. Help us to follow your will in peace and in the love of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. God, you created all of us; save your people from the anger and hatred of each other. Enlighten all of us. Let us remember the “new commandment” of Jesus, “love one another.”
The Gospel sets an example that has helped me to pray today. A blind man seeking a cure from Jesus was rebuked by the crowd surrounding Jesus. The man persisted. Jesus asked him, "what do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “please, let me see.” Jesus told the man, "Have sight, your faith has saved you.” We should not give up on our prayer if we do not experience immediate results. Be sincere; be patient; ask God directly what we want Him to do for us. Have faith that God hears our prayer; we are never alone.
Prayers
My compassionate Lord, I come to You in my weakness and poverty, I come in need of Your divine touch and healing. As You do pass by, I acknowledge Your presence and call to You. Jesus, please do come to me, have pity on me. Help me to overcome every obstacle to Your love and to trust in You always, never wavering from my commitment to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, of all the many desires and goals I have in life I pray that I may desire Heaven above all else. Please free me from the foolish desires of this life and set my heart solely on You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart and mind that I may see and understand the truth and goodness of your word. May I never fail to recognize your presence with me and to call upon your saving grace in my time of need and healing.
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