Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 27th October 2024
We have to be very careful not to simply assume that the ‘God’ of the Old Testament was angry, cruel and judgmental. The first reading this Sunday from the Prophet Jerimiah would suggest otherwise. This is a God who is personally and deeply concerned about his people. We are told that God will ‘gather them from the far ends of the earth… the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labour… I will comfort them as I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water…’
This is not a remote or distant God; this is a God who is intimately concerned about and involved in the lives of his people.
These qualities of a caring and compassionate God are also seen in how Jesus deals with a blind man in the gospel. Blind Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of road when Jesus is passing by.
He must have at least heard about Jesus, because when he gets nearer, Bartimaeus starts to shout out, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ But those with Jesus try to stop him from causing trouble or even a scandal, but he is having none of this! He shouts even louder with more determination.