Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
October 24, 2021
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
(Mark 10:49)
The dictionary defines the word "pity" as “the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others.” Today’s Gospel tells the story of Bartimaeus, a blind man, who has the humility to call out to Jesus begging him to have pity on him. "Pity" is a word we don’t much like to use and yet how appropriate is it that we call out to Jesus to have pity on us, to heal us from whatever it is that holds us back? It isn’t always physical, it can be the fear that keeps us from knowing and believing that God truly loves us and desires our wholeness. The list can go on and on...we all have that one thing that needs to be healed. Can we like Bartimaeus find the courage to call out, stand up and go to Jesus?
Prayer
Loving God
and source of all compassion and mercy,
give us the courage to call out to you
when the heaviness of life blinds us
to the goodness and love you offer us each day.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
who is one with you and the Holy Spirit
now and forever. Amen.
Mary Kay Kelley, SSJ
Director of Faith Formation
St. Isaac Jogues/St. John Neumann
Mount Laurel, New Jersey