DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, October 25, 2015




Suggested Reading: MARK 10: 46-52

                                

For many of us our faith is very personal and secretive. When we gather in community to worship God we still feel a little uncomfortable professing our faith. Being open about our relationship with God can be difficult and even sometimes embarrassing. Overall, the preference seems to be silence and secrecy. Yet, we are encouraged to do the complete opposite. Coming forward to worship god should be not only a personal experience but a collective experience as well. Jesus does not want us to hide his love away. This has a repressing effect on what his presence can do for us. He is very explicit about this when he tells his disciples that they are the Light of the World. “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” This is intended for us also. As receivers of God’s Love we must react to this openly and publicly. There is no more dwelling in the shadows. We are Children of the Light.

In the Gospel Reading today Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” Our prayers, our joys, and our lamentations should be approached the same way. For it is through professing our love for God that we receive relief, comfort, and indescribable joy. Jesus demonstrates this through the healing of Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus expressed his faith and his prayers were answered. His faith also transformed his life from a beggar to a follower of Jesus. Our prayers can be answered. Our lives can be transformed through an open, honest, and trusting relationship with Our God. Arguably this is directly against what society wants us to do. In comparison, society tries minimize the influence of Jesus; coercing us into a shallow relationship with God; enticing us to rely more on it than that which should be central to our existence: a full acceptance and celebration of our creator. It is a trap set by Satan who seeks to divide us with thoughts of disbelief and material longing.

God, through the Prophet Jeremiah, commands us to “Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise” It should not be our intention to remain silent or be embarrassed at who we are or what we are becoming. Our relationship with God should be a joyous event; one that we must bear witness to all of our days. It is through the lowering of our self-created barriers that we can experience God more fully and completely. The impact this can have on our existence is immeasurable by human standards. God has put us in the forefront of all nations and all of creation. That is how much he loves us and wants us to experience indescribable joy. How can we shy away from this? So much is offered and yet we are hesitant about grasping it? Jesus is all about fulfilling the Human Experience which is undoubtedly connected with becoming closer to him. It is through Jesus that we all can see the world and the entire universe as it was intended for us to see it: through Christ and with Christ.

 

Deacon Tom


No comments:

Post a Comment