Jesus’ mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today’s Feast of the Presentation teaches us three lessons in the spiritual life:
Gratitude. Pilgrimage. Return.
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The actual event of Mary’s presentation is shrouded in mystery; we don’t know exactly when she was brought to the Temple. Scholars believe that her parents, Anne and Joachim, brought Mary to Jerusalem at the age of three, where they consecrated her to the Lord.
This was an act of thanksgiving because Anne was barren prior to Mary’s birth.
In the Old Testament, whenever a woman was unable to conceive a child, it was seen as a curse by God. The fact that Anne conceives a child – and the future Virgin Mother of God nonetheless – is part of what we celebrate today.
We also celebrate Anne and Joachim’s faith. Mary was their only child. And without reservation, one of the first things they do as parents is take Mary on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where they offer her back to God.
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Again, here we find three important lessons:
First, give thanks. We’re more aware of our need for gratitude during this week of Thanksgiving, but today’s feast reminds us to always thank God for an answered prayer.
Second, go on pilgrimage. There are certain times in our lives when we need to go out of our way to celebrate and understand our faith. Perhaps now is the time to plan a pilgrimage to Rome, Fatima, or some other important Christian site.
Third, and most importantly, give to God what belongs to God. Anne and Joachim take what is most precious – their only child – and offer her back to God in gratitude, promising that Mary will spend her life in service. We know in hindsight just how true that would be.
We’re called to do the same – to place in God’s hands whatever we hold most precious in life – our children, our marriage, our very own heart. Everything given back in service to God.
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Gratitude. Pilgrimage. Return.
Three different elements found in today’s feast.
Which of the these am I being called to practice today?
As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Mark tells us that this blind man healed in today’s Gospel was named Bartimaeus.
Imagine him wrapped in his cloak, his face covered by a scraggly beard, his eyes milky blue.
There he is on a patch of dusty earth, seated next to the road leading up into Jerusalem, begging pilgrims for spare change in order to feed himself that day.
“Sir, Ma’am, a spare coin, please!”
Suddenly, the crowd alerts him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing through – not because they think Jesus will want to see him, but because they want Bartimaeus to get out of their way!
What happens next is both surprising and miraculous – Bartimaeus lunges at the Lord’s feet, professes his faith, and begs to see.
Jesus, moved with pity for the man, heals him.
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It’s easy to consider this scene like any other – a person in need approaches Jesus and is healed. However, if we stick with the image and contemplate what just happened, then we’ll find an important lesson for every disciple.
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While seated, Bartimaeus would’ve had his legs crossed, creating a canopy between his knees, which people could’ve tossed coins into. When he stands and casts off his cloak – and any coins resting on – Bartimaeus literally leaves everything he owns behind.
Having nothing more than his faith, he approaches the Lord, expressing his need.
Because of hisfaith, Bartimaeus is healed… then he follows Jesus up to Jerusalem where, with his freshly healed eyes, he would see the Lord crucified.
The fact that Mark mentions Bartimaeus by name not only means that he was known in the early Christian community; by being part of it, Bartimaeus would have also received everything he left behind that day – food, clothing, financial support.
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So, what does Bartimaeus teach us?
In Jesus words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be given to you.”
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Image credits: (1) Cove Presbyterian Church (2) Medium (3) YouTube Above Inspiration, 15:46
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who lived in Germany during World War Two. Abhorred by the Nazis’ vicious rule, Bonhoeffer became an outspoken critic of Hitler, a decision that would cost him his life.
Before his execution in 1945, just weeks before the liberation of Berlin, Bonhoeffer wrote in his diary, “The sin of respectable people – of good, ordinary people like us – is running from responsibility.”
It would’ve been much easier for Bonhoeffer to take his voice – his “talent” – and bury it in the sand. But Bonhoeffer wouldn’t run from his responsibility; this was the work that God had given him to do – to stand up and speak out.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives a parable about a master who entrusted his servants with 1, 2, and 5 talents each. A “talent” was the equivalent of 15 years’ worth of wages for an ordinary person, or 80 pounds of silver!
Even the person entrusted with one talent was given much.
To the Master’s delight, two of his servants double his investment while he was away. Meanwhile, the third runs from his responsibility and, out of fear, buries his talent in the sand.
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The Apostles would’ve understood this parable in a very particular way.
What mattered was not how many “talents” they were given, but whether or not they accepted the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with the world, each in their own way.
For example, James was the first Apostle to be martyred for the Christian faith. His path was different from Saint Paul, who became the greatest missionary of his age, and who helped to write half of the New Testament.
Paul was here on earth for years – decades – longer than James and, for that reason, might’ve been given more “talents.” But each did what God gave them to do.
And each now shares in their master’s joy.
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All of these years later, what might this parable mean for us?
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We need Apostles like James and Paul, popes like Peter and Francis, and prophets like Bonhoeffer.
But, ultimately, the mission of the Church moves forward through ordinary people like us, and the woman in our first reading – a wife and mother.
The sacred author could’ve chosen anyone to embody a person pleasing to God – a priest, a prophet, a king – but he chose her.
She was a woman whose duties rarely extended beyond her home. Yet her goodness helped preserve her community, including her husband, her children, her servants, her neighbors, and the poor.
As it’s written, “She brings her husband good, not evil. She reaches out her hands to the poor… Her children rise and praise her… Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
This was a woman who’d been given a certain number of “talents” – whether 1, 2, or 5 – and she used them well, building up her family gesture by gesture. In doing the small things with great love, she became pleasing to God.
And like the priests and prophets who’d gone before her, she, too, shares her master’s joy.
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Perhaps this is something for us to contemplate this week. What are my God-given responsibilities?
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Perhaps you’re a son or daughter, a student, a parent, a spouse, a colleague, or a minister of the Gospel. Whatever responsibilities you’ve been given, embrace them with the same spirit as the humble mother, the worthy wife in our first reading.
It’s the same Spirit who filled the Apostles James and Paul, and the 20th century prophet, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
On this weekend of my third anniversary as pastor of this parish, I’m all too aware of my own God-given responsibilities.
Whether I’ve been given 1, 2, or 5 talents, I intend to use them all. In particular, I hope to energize the way we worship God together and to increase the effectiveness of how we hand on our faith to the next generation.
These are two responsibilities that we all share – worship and handing on the faith – each in our own way. As our vision statement reminds us, we are, “All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”
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And when the Lord does come, may he find us watchful and waiting, building up the kingdom each in our own way – as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.
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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) AZ Quotes (3) Medium
