Blind Bartimaeus took a risk. He heard that Jesus was approaching, so he took the risk of calling out to him. Other’s tried to quiet Bartimaeus, but what he lacked in eyesight he made up for in lungs. He just called louder. According to the Gospel reading, Jesus heard Bartimaeus, and then told his disciples to bring him over to him. At first, Bartimaeus hesitated, but then he took a step of trust in the Lord. He threw off his cloak and went to Jesus. This throwing off his cloak might not seem significant to us, but it was an action that was full of meaning. Bartimaeus’ cloak was his mat, his bed, his warmth, his security blanket, and his one possession. It was his everything! To let it go, was to let go of everything he depended on and to trust in the Lord. Bartimaeus let go and let God. And Jesus rewarded his trust, his faith, with sight. Bartimaeus was not just given eyesight. He saw the Work of God. Jesus told him to «Go your way; your faith has saved you,» but Bartimaeus did not go. Instead, he followed the Lord. We are called out of our blindness into the light of the Lord. But to do this, we have to trust in God rather than in ourselves. Many of you took a leap of trust when you fell in love and committed yourselves to that special person who became your spouse. For your love to grow, you know that you cannot hold on to any security other than simple faith, not just in your spouse but, more importantly, in the Lord. You have to have faith that He will help you to love as He loves. That is why it is so important that husbands and wives pray for each other and with each other and pray that they might respond to their vocation to marriage by being good husbands and wives. Certainly, the raising of children demands trusting in the Lord. In this computer age, we check the Internet for the answers to all questions. The only thing is that raising children is not a scientific process. Children have souls, and personalities, and their own unique reflections of God. The closest thing to a handbook on how to raise a child properly is called the Bible. All parents find times that they are overwhelmed. It is a tremendous task to raise a child. You are called to form Christian children, capable of reflecting their unique images of God; yet you have to do this in a society that deifies materialism. You have to trust God to help you raise your children. So, continue to pray for your children every day! Do not be discouraged, continue to ask God to help you be a good Mom, a good Dad, and trust Him! We priests and religious had to take a step of blind faith in the Lord when they decided to embrace the yearning within them to serve God in these special ways. Our whole lives become a matter of just trusting in God. Sometimes that trust involves accepting new assignments. Sometimes that trust is as simple as saying our daily prayers and knowing that God will help us write the homily for next Sunday. The point this Sunday in our prayer time is to consider taking the risk of believing a little more; a Little better; take the risk of jumping, knowing that on the other side we will always find Jesus • AE
Fr. Agustin Schedule for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday, October 23, 2021.
3.30 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation
5.00 p.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
Sunday, October 24, 2021.
7.30 a.m. English Mass @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
10.00 a.m. @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
XXX Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario
Es posible hacer algo cuando sentimos que la fe se va poco a poco apagando en nuestro interior? ¿Es posible reaccionar? ¿Podemos salir de la indiferencia? El evangelista narra la curación Bartimeo quizá para animar a sus lectores a vivir un proceso que pueda cambiar sus vidas. No es difícil reconocernos en la figura de Bartimeo. Vivimos a veces como ciegos, sin ojos para mirar la vida como la miraba Jesús. Sentados o, mejor dicho, apoltronados en una religión convencional, sin fuerza para seguir sus pasos. Descaminados, al borde del camino. ¿Qué hacer? A pesar de su ceguera, Bartimeo oye que Jesús está pasando y comienza a gritar. Esto es siempre lo primero: abrirse a cualquier llamada o experiencia que nos invita a curar nuestra vida. El ciego no sabe recitar oraciones hechas por otros. Sólo sabe gritar y pedir compasión porque se siente mal. Este grito humilde y sincero, repetido desde el fondo del corazón, podría ser el comienzo de una vida nueva porque Jesús nunca pasa de largo. Bartimeo da unos pasos que van a cambiar su vida. Arroja el manto porque le estorba para encontrarse con Jesús. Luego, aunque todavía se mueve entre tinieblas, da un salto decidido. De esta manera se acerca a Jesús. Es lo que necesitamos muchos de nosotros: liberarnos de ataduras que ahogan nuestra fe; tomar, por fin, una decisión sin dejarla para más tarde; y ponernos ante Jesús con confianza sencilla y nueva. Cuando Jesús le pregunta qué quiere de él, el ciego no duda. Sabe muy bien lo que necesita: «Maestro, que pueda ver». Es lo más importante. Cuando uno comienza a ver las cosas de manera nueva, su vida se transforma. Cuando una comunidad recibe luz de Jesús, se convierte. El evangelio de este domingo nos dice pues que dentro de Bartimeo había aún una fe que le hizo reaccionar. Aquel ciego percibió que el Señor no andaba lejos y por eso pidió a gritos su ayuda. A nadie se le puede convencer desde fuera para que crea. Para descubrir la verdad, cada uno tiene que experimentar que Cristo hace bien y que la fe ayuda a vivir de una manera más gozosa, más intensa y más joven. Dichosos los que creen, no porque un día fueron bautizados, sino porque han descubierto por experiencia que la fe hace vivir • AE
LA MEDITACION DE LA ESPOSA 