Genuine Faith Is Saving Faith

Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126:1-6
Hebrews 5:1-6
Mark10:46-52
USCCB Link to the Readings

True faith is a faith that saves. Today’s story of Jesus healing the blind man Bartimaeus from the Gospel of Luke describes the journey of faith; it ends in a beautiful and surprising way when Jesus says: “Go, your faith has saved you.”

Authentic Faith. In the vision of Pope Francis, faith requires three interrelated actions: listening, being a neighbor, and bearing witness. These three elements all appear in the narrative where Jesus heals the blind man Bartimaeus. Although he was busy with many activities and duties, Jesus stops when he hears the cry of the sightless man. Jesus says: “Call him.”

Using three simple words, the disciples say to the man: “Take heart, get up, Jesus is calling you.” To quote Pope Francis: “Everywhere else in the Gospel, Jesus alone says, ‘Take heart,’ for he alone ‘heartens’ those who need him…. Jesus alone says, ‘Get up,’ and heals in spirit and body. Jesus alone calls, transforming the lives of those who follow him, helping raise up the fallen.”

Origin of Faith. Remarkably, as Francis notes, “Bartimaeus had made no profession of faith or done any good work; he had only begged for mercy. To feel oneself in need of salvation is the beginning of faith. It is the direct path to encountering Jesus.”

Francis continues: “The faith that saved Bartimaeus did not have to do with his having clear ideas about God, but in seeking him and longing to encounter him. Faith has to do with encounter, not theory. In encounter, Jesus passes by; in encounter, the heart of the Church beats.”

A Listening Faith. Pope Francis, commenting on the Youth Synod (2018), believes that it is “not our preaching, but our witness of life that proves effective.” We, the Church, seek to “listen to young people, be their neighbors, and bear witness before them to Jesus, the joy of our lives.” Francis affirms that listening begins the journey of faith. “It is the apostolate of the ear: listening before speaking.”

Francis asserts that careful listening is central for the Church’s mission. “May we too ask for the grace of a heart that listens. I would like to say to the young people, in the name of all of us adults: forgive us if often we have not listened to you…. As Christ’s Church, we want to listen to you with love…. Your lives are precious in our eyes.”

Missionary Faith. Friends, we have just revisited the encounter between Bartimaeus and Jesus. The former exerted a lot of effort to gain the attention of Jesus, despite the real uncertainty of being able to reach Him. The crowd was just too big and the distractions too many. Yet, Bartimaeus could not be stopped. However, little did he know, that Jesus noticed him despite his perceived difficulty. They were able to talk with each other. He received his sight. Then, he followed him. In other words, he became a missionary. Become a modern-day Bartimaeus!

Notes on the Sunday Readings

First Reading
Jeremiah 31:7-9 — The tender-hearted prophet, Jeremiah, pictures the return of the northern tribes after their Assyrian captivity; the Lord will bring back the blind and the lame; he will console everyone. It is like a new exodus, a happy and joyful event.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 126:1-6 — This psalm expresses the delirious joy of displaced persons coming home. Indeed, “the Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”

Second Reading
Hebrews 5:1-6 — The letter to the Hebrews was written by a nameless author. Today’s passage recalls that in the Old Testament there was one high priest, a descendant of Aaron. Here Jesus Christ is shown as the perfect New Testament high priest.

Gospel
Mark 10:46-52 — In today’s familiar Gospel from Mark we hear the dramatic story of a persistent blind man. Bartimaeus was loud enough to claim everyone’s attention—even in a crowd. He had faith enough to get a cure. He is a model for our prayer-life.

Notes and Commentary by Maryknoller James H. Kroeger, author of
Walking with Pope Francis: The Official Documents in Everyday Language
(Orbis Books – 2023) and Exploring Vatican II Treasures: Actors, Events, Insights, commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the close of Vatican II [1965-2025] (Faith Alive Books — 2024)

Please pray for the missions.
May God bless you in all the ways you Go Forth…

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