Friday, October 23, 2015

Reflection for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lord that I may see...

Jesus is seen with his disciples along with a large crowd of people leaving Jericho and moving to Jerusalem.  A blind man named Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road and hears the noisy people.  Bartimaeus shouts out, “Jesus have mercy on me!”  The people tell him to be quiet!  He continues to shout so Jesus stops and the people bring him to Jesus.

Jesus and Bartimaeus are face to face and Jesus asked “what can I do for you?”  In reply Bartimaeus answers “Lord that I may see.”  Jesus gives him more than physical sight but sight where he is gifted with life’s real meaning and direction.  He received the gift of vision to know where God is found.  The gift of vision to know that real truth, goodness and beauty are found in Jesus.  Bartimaeus is made whole!  He followed Jesus on the road.  There is no longer a need to sit beside the road anymore.

Are we sitting on the side of the road and hearing the noisy people?  Do we remain at the side of the road or shout, “Lord that I may see?”  Thus being gifted with truth, beauty and goodness.

-Sister Rose Ann Blair, CDP

Friday, September 4, 2015

Reflection for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Be strong, trust that our blindness will turn into light...

Today’s first reading and the gospel are deeply connected. We are told to be strong that our heart will guide us to be open to the Lord’s call to listen and respond. Both readings direct us to be strong so we will be liberated of our blindness, we can be saved and be able to sing God’s power to proclaim how blessed we are to hear in our heart the wonderful news of God’s Providence!

Mark’s message tells the story of the person who was deaf.  That Jesus took the person aside and put His finger into her ears and spitting touched her tongue.  In baptism we received the very same ritual of our ears and tongue being touch so as to hear and shout with joy the Lord’s wonderful blessings.

Let us ask the Lord’s blessing so as to hear the words of Providence and witness the Word alive moving us to sing about the Good News. Be strong, trust that our blindness will turn into light.  Let Jesus bring us apart so as to hear and witness what has been done to us.

Sister Rose Ann Blair, CDP

Reflection for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Ephphatha!" - that is, "Be opened!"

He said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!” And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

We hear the word “Ephphatha” every time we baptize and welcome a new member into our Catholic church family.  Since most of us were baptized as infants, we don’t remember that.  This Sunday’s gospel reading reminds us all that we too are needing our ears to be opened to hear—to hear the birds singing and waves crashing, to hear the voices of family members and friends in need, and to hear the cries of the women and children in detention, in human trafficking, and all who are seeking refuge from oppression of any kind throughout the world.  With “new ears,” we are called, through our baptismal call to be bold in being a voice for the voiceless, to hear and speak the truth, to remove all the impediments that are in our heads and hearts that keep us from speaking.  We are called to speak plainly!


Sister Rose Kruppa, CDP

Friday, August 28, 2015

Reflection for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cleansing one's hands will not suffice...


First we hear Moses remind us to “hear the commandments, that you may live.”

Then we are reminded to “be doers of the word, not hearers only.”

In the Gospel Jesus rebukes the Pharisees who question the disciples for not washing their hands.  Jesus challenges them: “You disregard God’s commandments but cling to human tradition.”

Thus we see a common thread: Obey the commandments.  Keep God  first, front and center, and all other things fall into place.  Let your actions be louder than your words.  Let your life lead.  A life centered on God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

As a hospital chaplain, this analogy comes to me.  In the hospital there is great concern about infection control, so much so that all who enter and exit a patient room are instructed to wash their hands.  The concern is to keep the outside clean so that the inside does not catch infection.

I often reflect on how cleansing one’s hands will not suffice if one wants to connect with the whole person and one goes into the room full of haughty and righteous thoughts (the inside).  When Jesus defends his disciples for not washing their hands, he could have been teaching that their inside is far more important than their outside for effective ministry.

Sister Bernadette Bezner, CDP