Take Courage

So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."  He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.  Mark 10:49,50 

Reflection

Why did Bartimeus get up and come to Jesus?  Not because he saw Jesus; he was blind.  Not because he “heard” Jesus calling him.  Jesus didn’t actually call the blind man but asked the others to do so.  In fact, the blind man didn’t even know Jesus was passing by until he heard about it through others.  So, what would get Bartimeus up so quickly?  Courage!

From the Latin root “cor” meaning heart, courage is that heartfelt desire that gets you up in the morning, moves you to love beyond all reason, and keeps you going despite temptation and suffering.  It is ultimately the heart’s desire for God.

As far as getting out of bed on Sunday morning for Church, a lot of us need real Courage to go to Mass even though we don’t SEE God, and we never really HEARD Jesus call us. But once we get there, we somehow begin to move beyond our own blindness.  On the urgency of others who work on His behalf, we too come to Jesus out of Courage because we trust once we make one step closer, he will ask us too what it is He can do for us.

Given the chance to be so close to Him, how would you answer Jesus’ question:  “What do you want me to do for you?”

To serve and to give his life

Jesus said to the Twelve, “Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:44,45         

Reflection

As I left the supermarket last week, a man approached me in the parking lot with the words, “Get me a hot dog? Something for lunch?”  I smiled and walked past – into my nice car and onward to my comfy home where I had plenty of food and lots of comfort.  I share this as a confession.  After four days I am still haunted by my selfish response and my refusal to put into action the words of my Leader, “to serve and to give your life.”

I didn’t give my life, or my time, or my food, or my attention.  I forgot the words of the Word.

Servant leadership is really hard because it surprises you and comes in the form of simple encounters with the poor Christ.  The problem is … we don’t recognize the poor Christ in those we meet during our day.  But that is where He resides and meets us.  May we take to heart the words of Jesus as He instructs his first Apostles:  whoever wishes to be great will be a servant.  Lord, help me to take on the life of a servant, no matter the cost.

Jesus, looking at him, loved him

"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,"You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Mark 10: 20,21)

Reflection

Jesus did what the 10 Commandments can’t do … establish a relationship with the believer.  At the start of today’s Gospel, Jesus recites a rather robotic list of laws.  Laws can’t love another person, but a living Person can.  It is Good News that Jesus moves the believer out of an over-emphasis on right-vs-wrong (kind of like Presidential debates), and does what cold commandments can never do:  look back in relationship, and love.

Thus being freed from “the list,” Jesus invites a creative response, such as: going out to others, giving away the excesses of life, and following Jesus in His next steps.  It seems this freedom opens up a hornet’s nest of further discussion and argument (which happens in the second half of the Gospel reading).  Good!  Such is the nature of a personal relationship:  people work out next steps with one another based on the law of love.  Struggling with Jesus is a great form or prayer.

So, today's Gospel urges us to value human persons, despite the differences, despite how hard a call it might be, despite the arguments and struggles.  Which relationships in your life need to be reignited with a good argument or some hard questions?  Look at that person in your imagination, as Jesus did for real, and see what comes from the invitation to love your enemy.  Fear not, Jesus would say, one sign that your Christian life is alive and well is that you have followed the Lord drawing closer to another human being.  That example is a healthy step forward.

And dismiss her

Jesus said to the Pharisees, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." (Mark 10:4)

Reflection

One of my favorite movies is The Breakfast Club.  This 80s film showed the interactions among five high-school kids during Saturday detention.  At one point, during a sharing about how parents inflict punishments and penalties, the Emilio Estevez character asks the Ally Sheedy character “What do they do to you.”  The girl replies, “They ignore me.”  How devastatingly true and unfortunate for many teens, to be ignored, discounted, dismissed.

For us too, we have had experiences where we have chosen to ignore a person, a relative, a group of people, perhaps an entire gender.  To some degree, have you chosen to “dismiss” someone simply because the relationship is inconvenient or too challenging?  This was the case in the time of Jesus.

Apparently, the Mosaic law had been altered to allow Jews a divorce – the dismissal of a person – simply because the husbands’ hearts were too hard, small, and shallow.  Self-absorbed perhaps.  In response, Jesus hearkens back to the earlier time at Creation when God saw the true capacity of human life and love.  “No human being must separate.”  That is exactly how the kingdom of God will look:  all will be joined together in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in Christ, in praise of the Father.  This Trinitarian relationship lasts forever.  

 So, Jesus places that challenge to the Pharisees and to us in our personal and earthly relationships.  Do not seek for dismissal of another, but strive for deeper commitments that reveal the self-less self-giving love that Jesus would later show.  Strive for the divine-like.  Practice a love that is “for keeps” and committed to Christ the ever faithful Companion.  Whether in marriage, family challenges, tough neighborhoods, warring countries, or painful social encounters, Jesus offers you a daunting test as well:  no human being must separate.  Can you ignore that invitation?

He does not follow us

"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."  Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him." (Mk 9:38,39)

Reflection: The phrase “to follow” has a new meaning in this age of Twitter.  I opened a new Twitter account recently: @pfairbanks, and I have a grand total of three “followers” – people who receive my tweets.  Granted I don’t put out many tweets, but it is nice to have that contingent of friends and acquaintances to accompany you down this yellow brick road of social media. 

That’s what Jesus knew was valuable as His new Apostles were testing their new social wings of evangelization.  Jesus knew that those who perform mighty deeds in His name were just as included in the circle of friends as those who follow the same God under a different screen name.  That is, part of our participation in the social medium we call the Kingdom of God means that we drop the urge to prevent (control) the unfamiliar, and rather accept the work of stranger and alien as Jesus did.  After all, we have more to learn about God’s Twitter account than a simple laptop can provide.

Send them out in pairs

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits.” (Mark 6:7)

Reflection: Jesus used a tactic in his mission whereby each of the Apostles traveled with another on mission.  This likely created a small community for support, shared prayer, and practical assistance.  Where one man had this gift, perhaps Jesus paired him with another Apostle who brought a complimentary gift.  Stop and think: who traveled with Judas?  Who got to walk with Peter?  Which Apostle would you choose to go with on mission?

In the course of your life, you probably were paired with another person (by chance or on purpose) and found the work you were doing a lot easier.  Maybe a roommate in college, a co-worker, a close confidant.  Who was that person for you?  What did you learn from her or him?  Be grateful for those pairings in your life, and remain open to that apostolic mission today whereby you find authority in shared faith for the building of the Kingdom.

(PS:  As a new teacher, I found a close friend in Patrick Meade.  We both taught the same students at a Catholic elementary school.  I was language arts; he was social studies.  Indeed we were “paired” for three years as we lived out that mission.  More on this pairing elsewhere.)

What kind of wisdom

 “They said, "Where did this man get all this?  What kind of wisdom has been given him?  What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!”  (Mark 6: 3)

Reflection:  How did the listeners in the synagogue know that Jesus brought a new kind of wisdom?  What did he say and do that seemed so unusual?  Likely his wisdom came from a fresh place of prayer and confidence (faith) all his own.  This new way of seeing the world and God’s role in our lives was “given him” as a gift.  All Jesus had to do was listen carefully and place faith in the Source – his Father.

What would be your way of expressing wisdom from your own faith and prayer?  Long ago, when I was in high school, an art teacher asked me how I saw a certain painting.  I was amazed that she would even presume I had an opinion.  It took a lot for me to even examine my own feelings and interpretations, but for sure they were mine and I had faith that she valued that response.

You too are called to look at life and express the wisdom of God found in your own prayer and actions.  Perhaps today you too will amaze people with “mighty deeds” that come from deep faith and divine insight.  Even though you are “the carpenter in your own house,” you still have gifts given by the Father and a voice to proclaim wisdom each day.  Step up.