Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 497
Reading 1
Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him,
to show his servants what must happen soon.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
who gives witness to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud
and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message
and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.
John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before his throne.
I heard the Lord saying to me:
“To the angel of the Church in Ephesus, write this:
“‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand
and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,
and that you cannot tolerate the wicked;
you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not,
and discovered that they are impostors.
Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name,
and you have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.
Repent, and do the works you did at first.
Otherwise, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”’”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (Rev. 2:17) Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Alleluia
John 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
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 Luke, 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
By Fr. Martin Hogan
In the gospel reading Jesus was going into Jericho, intending to pass through on his way to Jerusalem. However, the gospel reading says that he stopped, in response to the earnest cry of a blind beggar, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me’. Jesus’ face was set towards Jerusalem; he was determined to get to the city that had a reputation for killing prophets. Yet, he wasn’t so fixed on getting to where he was heading that he was indifferent to whatever happened along the way. What happened on the way was as important to him as the destination. That is why he gave this blind man his full attention when others were rebuking him and telling him to keep quiet. Jesus always responded to the call of the present moment. He answered the man’s heartfelt prayer of petition, ‘Let me see again’, and, as a result, his prayer of petition gave way to a prayer of praise which spread to all the people who saw what had happened. Jesus models for us the importance of responding to the call of the present moment. We can all be too focused on where we are going to the neglect of where we are. What we might be tempted to think of as interruptions can actually be where the Lord’s call to us is to be found.
Reflection 3
Shared from Daily Liturgy
The blind man in today’s gospel teaches us to be in touch with our inner longings and to be appreciative of what we already have. He was certainly not satisfied with begging, because he wasn’t able to do what he really longed to, given his blindness. He showed that he wanted to do something different, from the fact that he enquired what the crowd’s noise was all about. Besides he knew he had lost something valuable, something he grew more appreciative about at the instance of its loss. And he wanted that something back – his sight. He said ‘Let me see AGAIN.’ Are you satisfied with what you are doing in life? Are you making full use of what God has given you to achieve your inner longings?
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 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.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 322: The Obstacle of Pride
The Lord, in His abundant Mercy, comes to you day and night and joyfully enters your soul when it is open to Him. Even the greatest struggles do not deter our Lord from coming to you. But one thing, especially, keeps our Lord away. And that is pride. Pride is the mother of all sins and, simply put, is selfishness. It’s a way of turning in on yourself as your primary concern. The problem with this is that you were made, by God, for the purpose of giving yourself away. It’s in your very nature to become a gift to others. And only in giving of yourself to God and to others do you discover who you are and, in that act, you become who you were made to be. So pride, in its attempt to become self-concerned, actually has the effect of destroying you. Pride leaves you with yourself and allows no room for another, not even God (See Diary #1563).
Reflect upon the sin of pride today. Here is an examination for this sin: Pride is an untrue opinion of ourselves, an untrue idea of what we are not. Have I a superior attitude in thinking, or speaking or acting? Am I snobbish? Have I offensive, haughty ways of acting or carrying myself? Do I hold myself above others? Do I demand recognition? Do I desire to be always first? Am I ready to accept advice? Am I in any sense a “bully” or inclined to be “bossy”? Do I speak ill of others? Have I lied about others? Do I make known the faults of others? Is there anyone to whom I have not spoken for a long time? Am I prone to argue and be offensive in my arguments? Am I self-conscious? Am I sensitive? Am I easily wounded? Reflect honestly on these sins today and seek freedom from them.
Lord, please free me from the self-centeredness that comes from pride. May I seek the good of others with all humility and sincerity. Free me from this sin, dear Lord, and help me to give myself away to You and to others, for in giving of myself I know I will find myself. Jesus, I trust in You.
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