Tag: Jesus Christ

Posted on

Third Sunday of Advent

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcast

Mass Readings

Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Responsorial: Isaiah 12:2-6
Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Gospel: Luke 3:10-18

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121221.cfm

Happy Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “rejoice,” and we hear that a lot in today’s readings! Our rose-colored candle today because the Church invites us to celebrate! We celebrate and we rejoice because we are halfway to Christmas! Can you believe it? Rejoice because the Lord is near!

Today also happens to be the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We don’t celebrate it this year because it falls on a Sunday and the Sunday liturgies take priority. But there is something important about that story that is relevant for us today.

Five hundred years ago, the Church had been struggling in its missionary efforts throughout central and south America. So, our Lady appeared in Mexico to encourage in the faith. But she didn’t appear to the bishop. No! She appeared to a poor indigenous laborer. The bishop wanted proof.

Oh, how our Lady provided proof!

Mary presented St Juan Diego with roses to take to the bishop. Why was this a sign? First of all, it was December and there was frost on the ground. Second, the roses weren’t native plants. These roses came from the same part of Spain where the bishop was from. What an extraordinary sign!

Now, in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist who had been preaching in the region of the Jordan (Luke 3:3) didn’t ask the people around him – the people he had just called a brood of vipers – to produce an extraordinary sign. But he told them they needed to repent and to prove their conversion. Or to put it another way, their repentance needed to produce fruit. You see, repentance is not about saying, “I’m sorry.” Repentance is about radical change – a turning from our old way of life. When we repent, we turn away from the lifestyle that caused us to sin. And the fruits of that change are corporal works of mercy – sharing our blessings with others.

The people ask him, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10)

John the Baptist tells the people that if they have two cloaks, they should give one away. Or whoever has food should give some of it away. (Luke 3:11) Tax collectors shouldn’t collect more than they should. (Luke 3:13) And soldiers shouldn’t extort people. (Luke 3:14)

Notice that it isn’t the occupation of the tax collector or soldier. John the Baptist doesn’t care what the job is, but how we conduct ourselves on the job. We can’t just say, “it’s business” to justify taking advantage of people.

Why these particular fruits?

Well, if I’m holding on to stuff I don’t use; if I’m hoarding more food or supplies than I could use in a year; if I’m taking advantage of people through my job, who’s the focus. The focus is on me. How often sin revolves around me. But repentance – changing my life means I’m willing to see someone else to offer them help.

Alright, let’s look at this from another angle. Isn’t mercy the other side of repentance? We repent and place ourselves at the mercy of God. But when we look out and forgive others or help others, we show them mercy. What is mercy?

Just this week my spiritual director reminded me about the definition of mercy. The Jesuit moral theologian Jim Keenan defines mercy as the willingness to enter into the chaos of another.

Doesn’t that sound like what’s happening in the Incarnation? God willingly enters into the chaos of our world – of our lives. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because someone you loved just passed away. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because you or someone you love received a bad diagnosis and they’re facing a difficult road ahead. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because you’re a single parent or your parents of young children and it’s a struggle – balancing work, schoolwork, the shopping, and the cooking and the cleaning. And let’s face it, the kids have more energy than we do so we feel like we’re racing just to keep up. And by the way, how is it December? It was just September, wasn’t it?

Despite the chaos of our lives, Jesus willingly steps into our lives, not like some phantom. But to walk with us as a human – to be just like you and just like me in every way except sin. Jesus says to you and to me I’m willing to step into your chaos.

John the Baptist tells us we can’t just reach into our pockets and toss a little change into the Salvation Army bucket, you know with the people ringing their bells. Do they still do that? No, John the Baptist tells us we need to look the other person in the eyes – to see them as a human being and to say to them “I am willing to bring the chaos of my life and get involved in the chaos of your life.” Like those roses that Our Lady gave to St. Juan Diego 500 years ago, I need to break through the frost of this post-Christian world and to share the joyful hope of Jesus Christ with everyone I encounter because we’re all in this together.

That’s another beautiful lesson learned from Our Lady. I’m sorry if you missed the talk by Christy Wilkens about Lourdes this past Thursday. She’s the daughter of parishioners. The family donated a copy of her book Awakening at Lourdes. Just as soon as our library volunteers can get that into the card catalog, it will be available in our library to be checked out. But one of the lessons she learned is that it’s not that God won’t give you more than you can handle. But rather, it’s God will not give you and your community of friends and family more than you can handle.

What a beautiful lesson.

We’re not alone on this journey. We’re part of a community. So, my repentance means that God is willing to show me mercy – to get involved in my chaos. So too must I be willing to get involved in the chaos of the community by sharing what I have – by sharing my particular gifts of time, talent and treasure. I think that’s one of the lessons from today’s Gospel.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following question.

John the Baptist tells us we need to share what we have with others and to not use our jobs to take advantage of other people. Ask yourself, “how do I joyfully put my time, my talents, and my money and possessions at the service of others?”

I think doing our homework will help us prepare to celebrate Christmas as intentional disciples. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Then go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPEG file.

References:

1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Hamm, Dennis SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.

Catechism References:
1. Joy: 30, 163, 301, 736, 1829, 1832, 2015, 2362
2. Jesus the Savior, 430-5
3. John prepares the way for the Messiah: 523-4, 535
4. John the Baptist: 535, 696
5. Fruits of repentance: 1460
6. Works of mercy: 2447

Third Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 92

Reading 1
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.
R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Reading 2
Philippians 4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia
Isaiah 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 3:10-18
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

Posted on

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

three people holding wrists with words from gospel mark 12:31

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcast

Mass Readings

Reading 1: Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Responsorial: Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51
Reading 2: Hebrews 7:23-28
Gospel: Mark 12:28b-34

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103121.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal and together we’re going to break open the Word!

In today’s Gospel, a scribe approaches Jesus out of what seems like a spirit of goodwill. <1> He asks Jesus which is the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28b).

Why?

The Torah has 613 commandments! There were often debates among scholars whether anyone commandment was superior or provided a framework for the rest.

Jesus answers the scribe, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

The scribe says to Jesus, “Well said, teacher.” (Mark 12:32) You see, the scribe knows that Jesus didn’t dodge the question. The law was so important that Jesus said it two ways. <2> You cannot say you love God but turn around and hate your neighbor or worse – pretend they don’t exist.

What happens next is extraordinary. Jesus gives the scribe the single greatest compliment given to anyone in the Gospel. <3> Jesus tells the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:34)

Why did Jesus pay the scribe a compliment? Because the scribe gets it. You can’t just talk the talk. You have to walk the walk!

But the compliment is also a challenge! Jesus said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” He didn’t say the scribe was already there. The scribe is on the right path but hasn’t fully realized missionary discipleship in his life.

This is a wildly important point for us. The scribe in Mark’s Gospel account is an example for all of us. How can we do better? By remembering that everyone we encounter is a creation of God. Everyone – even those people we don’t agree with – are worthy of our love and respect simply because they are created in the image and likeness of God.

Living that can be a tall order in our lives. How can we grow in understanding the Greatest Commandment? One way is to step outside our comfort zone – to go to the margins like Pope Francis suggests. The Pope reminds us that we are encouraged to reach out to people around the world.

I am a missionary disciple and I volunteer with Friends of los Niños. We work with orphans and abandoned children in Honduras, and we also minister in villages like Brisas del Salto. Why? Why should we travel or send support to a program outside our own country when there is so much need in our own country? That is an excellent question!

Traveling to another country and ministering to the poor is like jumping into a swimming pool filled with cold water. It shocks us awake. There is a family of children at the orphanage where we work. Mom was desperate. She had no income – no means of supporting her family of 6 children and her baby. She was all alone. So, one day, she decided to force-feed each of her children poison. Maybe she thought if she killed her babies, she could spare them from going to bed hungry one more time.

Through God’s providence, mom didn’t give her children enough poison to actually kill any of the children. Oh, they got sick and that’s how she got caught. The children came to COPPROME, the orphanage where we minister. Today, the youngest, that little baby, is a healthy growing boy. He’s sharp as a tack and honestly a little spoiled by all the love and attention he’d get when he was a baby.

You see, that’s one of the main things we do through our sponsorship program – we shower the children and the staff with love. We share our love for God with these innocent children. Through our work, we offer these children and the villagers we work with some hope – hope that God has not abandoned them – hope that God hears their prayers.

Who is we? We are all the people – people just like you – who sign up to sponsor children at the orphanage or at the village of Brisas del Salto. People like you who travel with us to Honduras to see for yourselves where the money goes. People like you who look into the eyes of these beautiful children and say to them, “You can make a difference!” How can we say that? That is the hope of Sister Teresita Gonzalez. She is a School Sister of Notre Dame and her life’s work has been to try to break the cycle of poverty through education.

Our work is not easy. We’ve had some ups and we’ve had some downs. Two of the graduates from the orphanage – two sisters, Karen and Amerita – became psychologists. Not only do they maintain a thriving practice but inspired by people like you who’ve they’ve met over the years, they became quite the entrepreneurs. They started youth leadership program augmented by coaching and counseling to help shape the next generation. And they work with children at the orphanage. We lost Karen through an act of senseless violence, but Amerita pushed forward with the love and support of friends including many volunteers from the United States. Amerita recently got married and Katrina was fortunate enough to be in town for the wedding. Going on is made easier by the example of our volunteers who model strength and resolve.

These two sisters are a success story despite the tragedy they’ve experienced. Their hope is a gift from God and nourished by volunteers who travel to Honduras to share the love of Jesus Christ. There are so many more opportunities to help – so many children with tremendous potential to make a difference. All they need is our love, encouragement, and support. Won’t you join us? As one of the priests who travels with us says about our children, “I dare you not to fall in love!”

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following challenge.

My brothers and sisters, through today’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting you to step up – to share your love for God by sharing your love with people like the children and villagers we work with in Honduras. I encourage you to think about the ways you can make a difference in the life of a child on the margins.

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Then go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word! Peace!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

Notes:
<1> Mary Healy, Hebrews, 246.
<2> Michael Himes, “Chapter Three: Incarnation.”
<3> Ibid.

References:
1. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
3. Himes, Michael. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
4. Montague, George T. SM. Mark: A Popular Commentary on the Earliest Gospel. Steubenville, Ohio: Franciscan University Press, 1992.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The two great commandments: 201-2, 2055, 2196
2. Jesus’ intercession for us: 519, 662, 2634, 2741
3. Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice made present in the liturgy: 1084-5, 1364-8
4. Priesthood of the old covenant: 1539-43
5. Holy orders in the economy of salvation: 1539-47
6. The first commandment: 2052, 2093-4
7. Commandments as a call for a response to love: 2083

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103121.cfm
Lectionary: 152

Reading 1
Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.”

Responsorial
Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Reading 2
Hebrews 7:23-28
Brothers and sisters:
The levitical priests were many
because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,
but Jesus, because he remains forever,
has a priesthood that does not pass away.
Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son,
who has been made perfect forever.

Alleluia
John 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;
and my father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 12:28b-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
‘He is One and there is no other than he.’
And ‘to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself’
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Posted on

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Bartimaeus

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcast

Mass Readings

Reading 1: Jeremiah 31:7-9
Responsorial: Psalm 126:1-6
Reading 2: Hebrews 5:1-6
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102421.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal and together we’re going to break open the Word!

There is always such depth and richness to the readings. But what catches my attention is blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is sitting alongside the road of Jericho. Jericho was the town captured by Joshua. The story is in the Book of Joshua. Remember the story? The Israelite priests blew their trumpets as the army marched around the walls of Jericho seven times. And the walls of Jericho came crashing down (Joshua 6:1-27).

Now Bartimaeus is sitting on the roadside. Can you picture him begging for money from the people coming and going along this dusty road? He hears that Jesus is passing by as Jesus was leaving Jericho (Mark 10:46).

He begins to call out, “Jesus, son of David, have pit on me” (Mark 10:47). The people around him tell him to be quiet. Maybe they told him not to bother someone as important as Jesus. Maybe they were frustrated because this guy is always sitting on the side of the road begging. Maybe they thought he was a nuisance or a pain. Maybe they wished he’d move on.

How did Jesus react?

Scripture says that Jesus stopped and called for Bartimaeus (Mark 10:49). Only then did the people around Bartimaeus tell him to get up and go to Jesus.

Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). It’s the same question that Jesus asked James and John in the Gospel last week. But instead of self-interest, Bartimaeus only asks to be healed – to be made whole. He believes that Jesus can help him. And so, Jesus tells him that his faith saved him (Mark 10:52). Once healed, Bartimaeus follows Jesus as a disciple.

How many Bartimaeuses sit along our path? How tempting is it to simply ignore the Bartimaeuses of our day? Don’t make eye contact with them when you drive past them. Roll up your windows so that you can’t hear them call out.

Maybe Bartimaeus is the homeless person who you see on your drive to work. Maybe Bartimaeus is the person in the car behind you in line at the coffee shop who looks like they’ve been crying. Maybe Bartimaeus is that elderly person who lives all alone and never has any visitors.

My brothers and sisters, we are disciples of Christ Jesus. So often we are counseled that to be like Jesus means to imitate Jesus. What did Jesus do in this Gospel passage? Jesus stopped, looked around and called for Bartimaeus. Maybe that means that we should stop and acknowledge Bartimaeus too especially on this weekend of World Mission Sunday. We are called to look beyond our comfort zone – called to go out to the periphery – to reach out to those in need.

Maybe we could keep basics in our car so that we encounter a homeless person, we can offer them some socks or a bottle of water or maybe something warm during the winter. Maybe when we pull up to the window, we could let the barista know we’d like to buy the coffee for the person in the car behind us. Maybe when we see that elderly person who lives alone and comes to Mass alone, maybe we could say hello. Maybe we could sit with them. Maybe we could invite them to join our family for lunch or dinner after Mass?

Today, our highly polarized political environment could cause us to either dismiss Bartimaeus or to judge Bartimaeus. It’s Bartimaeus’ own fault they’re in that situation. Those are the voices in the crowd trying to silence Bartimaeus from calling out to Jesus. Participate in politics – absolutely. That’s our civic and moral duty. But we can’t allow our politics to drown out the voice of Bartimaeus. We cannot allow politics to prevent us from carrying out our Christian duty to bring comfort to those in need.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following question.

Jesus stopped and called for Bartimaeus. Reflecting on your most recent experiences, how likely are you to stop and acknowledge Bartimaeus in your life?

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word! Peace!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

References:
1. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
3. Montague, George T. SM. Mark: A Popular Commentary on the Earliest Gospel. Steubenville, Ohio: Franciscan University Press, 1992.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Signs of the kingdom: 547-50
2. Ministerial and common priesthood: 901, 1545-7
3. Priesthood of the old covenant: 1539-43
4. Priesthood of Christ: 1544-5
5. Jesus hears our prayer: 2616

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102421.cfm
Lectionary: 149

Reading 1
Jeremiah 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 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 2
Hebrews 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.

Alleluia
Cf. 2 Timothy 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 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.