So let's talk about today's readings 10/25/09

[cheeto1]

October 25, 2009

Reading 1
Jer 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) ** The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.**
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading II
Heb 5:1-6 Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel
Mk 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
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.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

 

[cheeto1]

–The first reading makes me wonder - will all the Jews around the earth be gathered
into Jerusalem?

“Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.”
– What is being sown in tears? The Word of God? I have yet to see a priest
crying as he proclaims the Word of God. Rather, He is sowing in joy, in hopes
of the coming sheaves. Is there anything it could mean besides the Word of God?

“He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness”
– This is what we have to do and realize too, even if we’re not priests.

“Master, I want to see.”
– This is the phrase most talked about by the priests today, but this one strikes
me more:

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
– 1. Can we realize that this is for us?
2. Can we say these words to others?

So what struck you about today’s readings? :bible1::twocents:

 

[CatholicZ09]

The Gospel today screamed “Amazing Grace” at me, haha.

 

[MonFrere]

The Gospel today screamed “Amazing Grace” at me, haha.

Interesting comment in that I choose to sing Amazing Grace as our offertory hymn today. (I’m our music director and choose the music for each Sunday Mass). The cantor saw me before Mass and said she didn’t like that hymn so I changed it to - Where Charity and Love Prevail; a hymn she did like.

MonFrere

 

[jpy15026]

October 25, 2009

**One of my many favorites!**

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth

**He was blind; someone had to “tell” him Jesus was coming down the road,
**
*he began to cry out and say,” Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." *

Someone was sharing the faith with Bartimaeus, he knew Jesus was the Messiah!

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

**We can talk about anything but our Faith, we are hushed up!
**
But he kept calling out all the more,

**Bartimaeus didn’t listen to them; he called to Jesus even more!
**
“Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

**Jesus stopped….Yes! He hears us when we cry out to Him!
**
So they called the blind man, saying to him,“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

**We can not be afraid when Jesus calls us to Him.
**
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

If we want to come to Jesus, we have to remove our Sin that we are cloaked in.

*Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” *

**Ask and ye shall receive **(Mat 7:7) **
Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not **(James 4:2)

*The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see.

He had faith and believed that Jesus The Master had the power to heal him of his blindness.
*
" Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

**We have to walk by faith not by sight *(2 Corinthians 5:7)
*
Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way

**When we come to Jesus and He heals us we then have to “Follow Him on the way”
.
**

 

[MonFrere]

–The first reading makes me wonder - will all the Jews around the earth be gathered into Jerusalem?

“Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.”
– What is being sown in tears? The Word of God? I have yet to see a priest
crying as he proclaims the Word of God. Rather, He is sowing in joy, in hopes
of the coming sheaves. Is there anything it could mean besides the Word of God?

I thought this “sowing in tears” was a reference back to the captivity of the Jews to Babylon and that terrible time in their history for them. This was a time of weeping and tears for the Jewish people if ever there was one. They longed to return to Jerusalem. And eventually they did. And their rejoicing was very deep and sweet. So, the captivity that was the sowing of tears eventually brought great rejoicing when they were permitted to return to Jerusalem.

MonFrere

 

[MariaG]

The Gospel today screamed “Amazing Grace” at me, haha.

That was the recessional song for us!

 

[dennis01]

cheeto1;5862708:

October 25, 2009

**One of my many favorites!**

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth

**He was blind; someone had to “tell” him Jesus was coming down the road,
**
*he began to cry out and say,” Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." *

Someone was sharing the faith with Bartimaeus, he knew Jesus was the Messiah!

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

**We can talk about anything but our Faith, we are hushed up!
**
But he kept calling out all the more,

**Bartimaeus didn’t listen to them; he called to Jesus even more!
**
“Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

**Jesus stopped….Yes! He hears us when we cry out to Him!
**
So they called the blind man, saying to him,“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

**We can not be afraid when Jesus calls us to Him.
**
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

If we want to come to Jesus, we have to remove our Sin that we are cloaked in.

*Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” *

**Ask and ye shall receive **(Mat 7:7) **
Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not **(James 4:2)

*The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see.

He had faith and believed that Jesus The Master had the power to heal him of his blindness.
*
" Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

**We have to walk by faith not by sight *(2 Corinthians 5:7)
*
Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way

**When we come to Jesus and He heals us we then have to “Follow Him on the way”
.
**

Very well put.

 

[Secret_Square]

I really liked the homily the priest at my parish gave today on these readings and I will briefly share it here.

First, a little background. Our diocese currently is without a bishop. This weekend, every Sunday Mass in the diocese was to be offered specifically for the intention that we receive a good and holy bishop. There is a votive Mass for this intention in the Roman Missal; it has different opening and closing prayers, intercessions, etc. but uses the Lectionary readings already specified for the day. So the readings were the same.

Our pastor said that even though it wasn’t “planned” that way, all the readings for today tied in very well to the theme of what a bishop or pastor is called to be. He is called to be a prophet like Jeremiah was, warning people when they are going wrong and what they need to change, but also giving them hope when they find themselves in distress (like the Israelites in exile). He is called to help the blind see the truth of the faith like Jesus, but he also has to remember that he too is weak and sinful and deal “patiently with the ignorant and erring.”

He added that he himself sometimes trembles when he realizes the responsibility he carries for the welfare of EVERY soul within the boundaries of his parish (which is pretty big). Bishops and the Pope are prayed for by name in every Mass, not because they are “better” than anyone else, but because they NEED those prayers more than anyone. Also, it is a responsibility they have to be called to – a potential bishop or pope who “wants” the job or strives to get it is exactly the kind of person you don’t want getting it!

Anyway, I thought it was a good summary of the role of the pastor/bishop in the church and I thought I’d share it.

 

[Fidelis]

I thought this “sowing in tears” was a reference back to the captivity of the Jews to Babylon and that terrible time in their history for them. This was a time of weeping and tears for the Jewish people if ever there was one. They longed to return to Jerusalem. And eventually they did. And their rejoicing was very deep and sweet. So, the captivity that was the sowing of tears eventually brought great rejoicing when they were permitted to return to Jerusalem.

MonFrere

I agree with this; however in relation to the Gospel,the seed of the Good News is sometimes spread in tears – through martyrdom, rejection, trial, ridicule, persecution and privation. It has long been Christian teaching that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Also, there is a reason we “offer up” our sufferings:

Colossians 1:24 - Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church,

 

[cheeto1]

We sang “Amazing Grace” too!
jpy, loved your commentary
Mon Frere, are you saying that to you, the “sowing in tears” means a “sowing OF
tears” (by the Israelites)? Their tears were planted, and then they received joy
when they returned? Wonder what happens when our tears are sown?
What happens Fidelis?
Secret Square, sometimes I don’t know how the priest can take the responsibility
of our souls. I figure he must not feel it too deeply, or how could he stand it? He
must feel like he has done all he can. Do you think he ever feels it as deeply for
the whole church as a parent feels for their children?

 

[Secret_Square]

Cheeto, I think a good priest, ideally, DOES feel the same love and concern for his parishioners (and a good bishop for his diocese) that a married man would for his wife and kids… that’s another reason why priests are celibate; they are “married” to the church. Of course this doesn’t always happen in practice; but then again, married men don’t always love their wives as much as they should, either. As for how he can “take it,” well, our pastor answered that very question when he said he knows he can’t do it by himself, in fact isn’t supposed to do it by himself, and has to rely on God.

 

[Fidelis]

We sang “Amazing Grace” too!

We sang it too, albiet with a modern, alternative ending.

Wonder what happens when our tears are sown? What happens Fidelis?

I think we get a hint when we look at the Psalm for today (which they left off at Mass today!). From Psalm 126:

5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!
6 He that goes forth weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his **sheaves **with him.

What is a sheaf? It is a bundle of grain from a harvest. Thus, in the context of the reading from Jeremiah and this Psalm, though the Jews were exiled to Babylon in tears and bitterness, when God returned them to the land they expected to so in abundance and joy, as at a harvest.

1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,*
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”

Spirituality, even though we experience the exile of sin and estrangment from God, when we respond to his merciful grace and he restores us his presence, we shall experience a new joy and an abundance of graces.

 

[crowcounty]

those who weep for the destruction of jerusalem and the crucifiction will reap with shouts of joy when the new jerusalem arrives.

 

[CatholicZ09]

Interesting comment in that I choose to sing Amazing Grace as our offertory hymn today. (I’m our music director and choose the music for each Sunday Mass). The cantor saw me before Mass and said she didn’t like that hymn so I changed it to - Where Charity and Love Prevail; a hymn she did like.

MonFrere

“Amazing Grace” was the Offertory hymn at my church too. Who doesn’t like Amazing Grace? Maybe it makes her sad…

 

[MonFrere]

“Amazing Grace” was the Offertory hymn at my church too. Who doesn’t like Amazing Grace? Maybe it makes her sad…

A case can be made that Amazing Grace, being a Protestant Hymn, has a skewed concept of grace not entirely consonant with Catholic theology. Some Catholics are also not entirely comfortable with the line “that saved a wretch like me”. The Protestant concept of “**total **depravity” where human nature cannot even respond to grace is problematic with Catholic theology. Catholic theology emphasizes that we are WOUNDED by original sin; and not totally depraved to the point when we cannot even respond to grace.without another miracle. So, IMO, it’s an OK hymn, but not a perfect one, that is a totally accurate representation of Catholic theology. I think Protestants look at this hymn as a more/less universal model of how God’s grace works to convert a soul; but in Catholic theology it is a model of how God sometimes may work in a soul. That’s the way I understand things; maybe some others can comment to expand or alter what I write above.

MonFrere

 

[cheeto1]

Some Catholics are also not entirely comfortable with the line “that saved a wretch like me”.

That was interesting, I never gave it a thought before. Is that the only line that some
Catholics are not entirely comfortable with, or are there more?

 

[MariaG]

That was interesting, I never gave it a thought before. Is that the only line that some
Catholics are not entirely comfortable with, or are there more?

The hour I first believed.

This is problematically when people try to say that baptism is only symbolic.

 

[MonFrere]

The hour I first believed.

This is problematic when people try to say that baptism is only symbolic.

Yes, the whole theology of grace (sacramental grace) is a big divide between Protestants and Catholics.

The hymn, Amazing Grace, was written at a time when sentimentality seemed to be a dominant feature of hymns, both Protestant and Catholic. I think the hymn Immaculate Mary was also from this time period. I wouldn’t dare think of taking this well loved hymn out of our hymnals - but the melody IS on the sentimental side. Certainly not one of our best Marian hymns. But, as a general rule of thumb, ideally, hymns should not lean too heavily on the sentimental. In a vast body of hymns, it’s OK to have some, as they DO represent an era of Church history, and therefore is a body of hymnody to tap from, but if you think of the greatest of our Catholic hymns, they tend to life the spirit to God and emphasize qualities of contemplation, peace, nobility, majesty etc.

MonFrere

 

[cheeto1]

…as a general rule of thumb, ideally, hymns should not lean too heavily on the sentimental…but if you think of the greatest of our Catholic hymns, they tend to life the spirit to God and emphasize qualities of contemplation, peace, nobility, majesty.

What are the greatest of our Catholic hymns?
I always thought the hymns existed for the purpose of giving us emotion with our
prayer. To enable us to lift our hearts also, instead of just our minds to Christ.