This morning our Bishop celebrated morning mass in the local Church. At the beginning of mass he spoke about how Jesus healed the blind men. Instantly I thought of Bartimaeus and how Fr Rob had mentioned him while we were in the Holyland. Of course with this memory came the memory of how Fr Rob had asked me to read the story of Zacchaeus when we stopped at his tree. I thought, 'grand, I'll read this well and give back the mic' but Fr Rob had other ideas. When I was giving back the mic he asked me to say a few words on what that passage meant to me. Talk about being but on the spot..... I could have killed him at the time, I had no warning this was coming, no time to prepare. But I know the reason I had no warning was so that what I said came from the heart not the head and I am grateful I was given this oppurtunity. Zacchaeus is one of the Bible stories that I remember from school, probably because we did it in preparation for First Holy Communion. Before speaking I took a couple of minutes, first to try find the passage I had just read as I had closed my Bible and to gather my thoughts. What was I going to say to 40+ people? I felt extra pressure because a day or two before this Fr Rob had told them all I was studying Theology. I have never been asked to share my thoughts on a Bible passage before so wanted to do a good job. I think I did okay. I made sure to write down all I said after for future reference. One thing I do remember saying is that by welcoming Jesus into his house Zacchaeus was also welcoming him into his heart.
As the Bishop read the Gospel I realised that it was not the Bartimaeus story. However, it was a story about faith. Again my mind was racing and I remembered my monastic experience/ religious exploration last August. In order to help me to experience monastic life I was assigned a few passages to reflect on in Lectio Divina each day. The passages I was given shared a common theme, faith. It is people's faith that heals them in the Bible. Jesus did not always have to touch them to bring them healing. By asking for healing or pardon shows faith in Jesus and this in turn brought healing to the people who sought it.
"Son of David, have pity on me!" (LK 18:39).
Sharing my some of my thoughts and reflections on life and the Gospels. Sharing words or inspiration I stumble upon too. In a word full of such sadness we need to remember that there is hope, there is light.
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