“Into this
world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all,
Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he
is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others
for whom there is no room.
His place is
with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are
regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of
persons, tortured, excommunicated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ
is present in this world.”
Perhaps Merton was thinking of our
Gospel today (Mark 10: 46-52). Perhaps Bartimaeus represents all those who have
been rejected, discredited and denied the status of person in our world. Jesus
is here for them. He responds when the call out. He recognizes their faith and
ee helps them to throw off their struggles and become part of the community.
Time and time again, Jesus stopped when the
Bartimaeus’ of the world call out for help. Because they called out Jesus was
able to acknowledge them, heal them, and include them. We might say that today’s
Gospel not only challenges us to look beyond ourselves to those who are
rejected, discredited and denied the status of person but it challenges us to
pray. It challenges up to call out when we, when the world, is in need so that
Jesus will hear us, recognize our faith and be able to stop, acknowledge, heal
and include us in the Kingdom.
Daily Prayer: Compassionate
God, at times our hearts seems troubled. When this happens everything becomes
an effort, life is difficult and we struggle to be faithful. In these moments remind
us of Jesus’ invitation “What do you want of me?” We want to see, we want to be
faithful. Thus do not let us be afraid and give in to life’s troubles. Rather through
your son help us stay close to you, by reaching out to others, doing something
creative with passion and always living the fullness of life. Enliven us always
in your Holy Spirit of faith, hope and love, so that we may live life with
Passion together. And may the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts! Amen.
Runner’s Thought: Let us remember
always when we run to search for God in the ordinary. Each run is a pilgrimage,
not to Rome, Jerusalem or some other place we consider holy or important, but
it is a pilgrimage nonetheless. Our run may be nothing more than a trip around
the neighborhood or on our favorite running route but if our intention is to
converse with God, then we are a pilgrim. It is the very ordinariness of the
run that enables it to become a central part of our life. With each run we
embark on a pilgrimage of the ordinary where we will always have the chance to find
God! (Adapted from Roger Joslin)
Happy Thursday everyone! The heat has
arrived in Pelham on this next to the last day of May, actually it arrived
yesterday afternoon. I hope your day has started off well and that you are
enjoying the warmth of these late spring days wherever you are. Have a great
day and please know that all of you continue to be in my prayers. Blessing
today and always…Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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