Reflection From Father John
October 27, 2024
The prophet Jeremiah is known for being called by the Lord to be a prophet from a young age. The First Reading this week is one of the few times Jeremiah is seen providing words of comfort. He prophesied to the Israelites immediately before and during the Babylonian exile. He was alive when the Israelites were exiled to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
The Babylonians conquered Israel and deported many of its inhabitants, fulfilling what had been foretold through the prophets, including Jeremiah. In chapter 31, Jeremiah is predicting the return of those sent into exile. He predicts the coming of the Messiah. The prophet mentions, the Lord will deliver the remnant of His people Israel. He will “gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst.” (Jer 31:8) The Israelite captivity in Babylon formally ended in 538 BC when the Persians conquered Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland. However, the words of the prophet Jeremiah go far beyond the foretelling of an end to Babylonian captivity. They find their fullest meaning in this week’s Gospel through the coming of Jesus and the miracles He performed.
In this week’s Gospel, we encounter Jesus leaving the city of Jericho. Jericho is one of the world’s oldest continuous settlements, dating back to 9,000 BC. It is located in the Jordan River valley and is actually 900 ft. below sea level. Following the Gospel of Mark, Jesus traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. He descended 3,400 ft. from one of the highest cities by elevation to one of the lowest. It was there in one of the lowest places on earth that Christ encountered Bartimaeus, a blind man. Looking at the root of the name Bartimaeus in Aramaic, the first part of the name means “son” and the second part indicates one who is unclean or defiled. Therefore, in Aramaic, Bartimaeus would signify “son of the unclean”. This is not a coincidence that Bartimaeus’ name signifies one who is unclean. At the time, anyone who was sick or deformed was considered unclean.
However, this name has an even deeper meaning. The blind man Bartimaeus is meant to signify all of us who are unclean and unworthy because of our sinfulness. Bartimaeus meets Jesus in the midst of his profound need and helplessness. Despite his uncleanness and blindness, he called out to Jesus. He cried out to Christ and didn’t listen to those who told him to be quiet. When we cry out to Jesus as Bartimaeus did, Jesus hears our prayers. He comes to heal us. He descends to meet us in the depths and darkness of our sinfulness. He does this through the Sacrament of Confession. Christ meets us in our sinfulness and like Bartimaeus, calls us out of our spiritual blindness into the light. Through the words of Absolution spoken by the priest, Christ forgives and heals us of our sins. The Sacrament of Penance restores us to the fullness of our Baptismal grace and heals our spiritual sight so that we can see and respond to Christ’s calling in our lives. Through Confession we encounter the Messiah, the one whom the prophets foretold. Let us take full advantage of such an opportunity and respond with the words of Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”