THE 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B - 23rd & 24th October 2021 - Holy Trinity Parish

by Sr. Delia

REFLECTION

When your paper is painstakingly hand-made; when you crush berries and make your own ink; when you carve your pen from soft wood, and carve another one when it wears blunt - you write very carefully - choosing precisely and only the words you want; no unnecessary extras. This applies to all Scripture, including our Gospels. Partly because he was writing in a second language (Greek), Mark is noted for his economy of words, bare facts, basic descriptions - so it is fascinating to pick up little ‘asides’ as in today’s Gospel. One we can look at is ‘throwing off his cloak’. Why waste ink on that detail? Bartimeus is blind. If he remains blind, he has no hope of ever finding his cloak again. It was possibly his only possession. For poorer Jews the cloak was your clothing by day and your blanket at night. So to throw off his cloak is a HUGE act of faith that Jesus will cure him. Are we challenged to ‘throw off our cloak’ in order to come to Jesus in pure trust? Do we wrap ourselves in cloaks of security? Reputation? Self-reliance? Pride? Bartimeus a poor beggar, disadvantaged, marginalised is a giant role model for us.