What do you want me to do for you?
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek
always the face of the Lord.
PENITENTIAL RITE
We are gathered together in this holy place, as one family of God, to praise and
worship our God. Let us forgive everyone from the heart, forget all our
bitterness; with a sorrowful heart let us ask the Lord to heal our blindness and
open our inner eyes to see the love of Jesus in the sacrifice of the Mass.
I confess...
Glory to God...
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray: Almighty and ever-living God, strengthen our faith, hope, and love.
May we do with loving hearts what you ask of us and come to share the life you
promise. We ask this…
FIRST READING
(God through Prophet Jeremiah promises the people of Israel freedom from
slavery, and joy and consolation. God thus proves himself to be a helper of the
needy.)
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (31:7-9)
Thus says the Lord: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for
the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say ‘The Lord has saved his
people, the remnant of Israel.’ Behold, I will bring them from the north
country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the
blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a
great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with
consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in
a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my first-born.”
This is the Word of the Lord
PSALM (125)
Response: What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, it seemed like a dream. Then was our
mouth filled with laughter, on our lips there were songs. R./
The heathens themselves said: “What marvels the Lord worked for them!” What
marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad. R./
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage as streams in dry land. Those who are
sowing in tears will sing when they reap. R./
They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing: they come
back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves. R./
SECOND READING
(The high priest of the Old Testament was the chief intermediary between the
chosen people and God and likewise Christ is our High Priest, our intermediary
with God.)
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (5:1-6)
Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in
relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with
the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of
this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the
people. And one does not take the honour upon himself, but he is called by God,
just as Aaron was.
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed
by him who said to him, “Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee”; as he
says also in another place, “Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of
Melchizedek.”
This is the Word of the Lord
ACCLAMATION (Jn 1:14)
Alleluia! Alleluia! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; to all who
received him, he gave power to become children of God. Alleluia!
GOSPEL
(On his way through Jericho Jesus healed Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, and gave
him not only his eyesight but the grace to become his follower.)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (10:46-52)
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude,
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And
when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be
silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to
him, “Take heart; rise, he is calling you.” And throwing off his mantle he
sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do
for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, let me receive my sight.” And
Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately
he received his sight and followed him on the way.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
I believe in God,/the Father almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe
in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was
crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he
rose again./He ascended into heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the
Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the
Holy Spirit,/the holy catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness
of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, God is our loving Father, who cares for us and
knows all our needs. With confidence and hope let us bring before Him all our
petitions, saying:
Response: O Lord, graciously hear our prayer.
1. Send forth the light of the Holy Spirit on all our Church leaders; keep them
safe from every foe, grant that always they be aglow with charity and delight in
serving you and the people entrusted to their care. R./
2. Bring to the sick and suffering your comfort and healing; strengthen them
through the victory of Jesus on Calvary. R./
3. Give us courage when things go wrong; strengthen us with faith in you, with
hope in your promises and love of your holy will. R./
4. Have mercy on all the blind; may they experience your care, guidance and
protection in every moment of their lives. R./
5. Give your light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Instil in them faith and hope. R./
(Pray for local and personal needs)
Cel: Almighty God, be near to us, for you alone can save us from the evils that
threaten us. Heal all our infirmities and illness, especially our spiritual
blindness, and free us from prejudice and hatred. We make this...
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord God of power and might, receive the gifts we offer and let our service give
you glory. Grant this…
PREFACE (P 36)
Father all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to
give you thanks.
When your children sinned and wandered far from your friendship, you reunited
them with yourself through the blood of your Son and the power of the Holy
Spirit. You gather them into your Church, to be one as you, Father, are one with
your Son and the Holy Spirit. You call them to be your people, to praise your
wisdom in all your works. You make them the body of Christ and the
dwelling-place of your Holy Spirit.
In our joy we sing to your glory with all the choirs of angels:
All: Holy, holy, holy...
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
We will rejoice at the victory of God and make our boast in his great name.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord, bring to perfection within us the communion we share in this sacrament.
May our celebration have an effect in our lives. We ask this…
LITURGY AND LIFE
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar of Jericho, must have been a
popular person. Evangelist Mark gives us his name and even his father’s name. As
he sat by the road he heard a great commotion of a large crowd passing by. The
blind man was told that it was Jesus passing that way with a large crowd of
followers. He might have already heard stories about other blind people who were
lucky to be healed by Jesus. He might have been saddened that he could not get a
chance to meet this divine healer. And lo! Now comes the chance of his life! The
only chance to see the light. He cries out: “Jesus! Son of David, have pity on
me!”
The crowd tries to rebuke him. And they are right: Can a great teacher on an
important mission be disturbed by a roadside beggar? But all their attempt to
silence him is in vain. He cries out all the more loudly. And can the
compassionate Lord turn a deaf ear to the cry of a beggar groping in the dark?
Jesus stops and bids his followers to call the blind man. What a joy! His cry
was not in vain. Throwing his cloak off Bartimaeus leaps to his feet and is led
to the Master.
“What do you want me to do for you?” There is a ring of readiness to act in
these words. Almost like “I am willing to do whatever I can for you.” A
readiness, willingness born of compassion.
“Teacher, I want to see again.” These words too smack of strong determination. A
sort of “I won’t let you go unless…” A determination born of faith.
The fact is that Bartimaeus obtained what he wanted, providing a great lesson
for all of us. Perseverant faith that finds its expression in persistent prayer
has the power to ‘wrest’ from the Lord whatever may be the miracle we stand in
need of!
The story of Bartimaeus has a symbolic meaning. He represents us, followers of
Jesus. Like him we too are often among those who “have eyes but do not see”! We
too need the Lord to stop by us and restore our sight. However, our blindness is
of a spiritual kind. As the old adage goes, “None so blind as those who will not
see, and none so deaf as those who will not hear.” At times we choose to remain
blind and we feel comfortable at it; at other times we are not even aware of our
blindness. We are blind to the sufferings of people around us, blind to the
plight of the poor and needy. We prefer not to see the injustice, dishonesty and
even cruelty that are being brazenly perpetrated right under our nose, at times
even with our tacit consent or connivance. We can be blinded by passion,
ambition, greed, unforgiveness, hatred, prejudices and so on… Our inner eyes are
shut to the light of the Lord. And lacking that light we fail to read the
reality. We become indifferent, insensitive and even callous. Our blindness may
even prevent us from recognizing the presence of Jesus at our side and from
crying out for help. Being unaware of our own blindness as well as of the
presence of the Lord close to us is indeed a tragic state.
Who can work the miracle of opening our inner eyes if not Jesus alone? He is
close to us. If only we can let him know that “we want to see again,” the Lord
will stop by and beckon us to himself and restore our sight. He will bring light
into our night.
—Fr Joseph Thenasseril, ssp
October 2009
READINGS OF THE WEEK
Psalter Week 2
26 Mon (G) Rom 8:12-17; Ps 67:2&4,6-7ab,20-21; Lk 13:10-17
27 Tue (G) Rom 8:18-25; Ps 125:1-2ab,2cd-3,4-5,6; Lk 13:18-21
28 Wed (R) Sts SIMON & JUDE, Aps (Fst) Eph 2:19-22; Ps 18:2-3,4-5ab; Lk 6:12-19
29 Thu (G) Rom 8:31b-39; Ps 108:21-22,26-27,30-31; Lk 13:31-35
30 Fri (G) Rom 9:1-5; Ps 147:12-13,14-15,19-20;Lk 14:1-6
31 Sat (G) Rom 11:1-2a,11-12,25-29; Ps 93:12-13a,14-15,17-18; Lk 14:1,7-11
