30thSunday of Ordinary Time year B 2018:
What a powerful story from the gospel today: Jesus heals the blind man. Just think for a moment about this man’s tough situation. He seems alone and abandoned. Even Jesus’ disciples try to stop him from reaching out to Christ. But, he fights through. Jesus hears him. Jesus heals him. And what happens? Immediately he receives his sight and he decides to follow after Jesus.
Can you imagine just for a moment how Bartimaeus must have felt that first moment that light touched his newly-healed eyes. Can you imagine the amazement and wonder at experiencing the healing power of Christ? What must have been going through his mind?
Putting myself in his shoes, I thought: I would be so grateful. His heart must have been filled with joy and gratitude. Indeed, Jesus had done an amazing miracle for him. Filled with gratitude, he followed after Christ.
This story really got me thinking about the importance of our psalm refrain today. We just sang these words: The Lord had done great things for us, we are filled with joy. These words were first spoken by the Israelites who had been saved from slavery by the Lord. I’m sure these are the words that capture the emotions in the heart of Bartimaeus after he encountered Christ today. But, I think these words should be the words of every one of us. If we really have eyes to see, the Lord has done great things for us, we too should be filled with joy.
I’m always trying to encourage people to practice the art of gratitude. There is really no better practice for us, because gratitude is the pathway to joy. Gratitude is the acknowledgement that God has done good things for us. Gratitude recognizes that we have received so much. Gratitude is a change of mindset. It sets us on a positive road. It helps us in turbulent times. Like the psalm says, it fills us with joy.
So, ask yourself: are you filled with joy? If you are, great. If not, gratitude is the key. I have tried to keep a daily gratitude journal for a few years now. It’s very simple. Takes 5 minutes. I sit down and think of 3 things for which I’m grateful. Sometimes these things are profound: I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve God here at the Cathedral. Sometimes, these things are simple: I’m grateful for a nice cup of hot coffee. But, no matter what, starting the day with gratitude helps to make the day a great one. Try to incorporate gratitude into your daily routine.
But, I also need to warn about the opposite of gratitude that can really bring us down in life. It’s the practice of griping. Now, if you never gripe, never complain, never feel sorry for yourself, then great. You are probably filled with joy. But, for the rest of us, this can be a real issue. I can notice all the time in my own life, times when I like to gripe. I’ll tell you one of my favorite gripes: I really hate winter. I hate when our weather tanks. Right now it’s terrible. It’s grey, cold, bleak. From now until May, we will only get like 5 minutes of sun per week. I can’t stand it. But, my griping about the weather certainly doesn’t change it. No amount of griping can make the sun come out. But, what does all that griping do? It makes me hate the winter even more. It fills me with negativity and despair.
What are your favorite gripes? Do they change anything? Do they leave you feeling positive? Of course not. Nothing is more incompatible with being a Christian then griping. The Lord has done good things for us, we are filled with joy. Now, what do we do about negative things in our lives? The letter to the Hebrews says that the priests would offer gifts and sacrifices. We should follow the example of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. He offered everything he suffered as a sacrifice. Think about Christ up there on the Cross. If anyone had reason to gripe about the unfair situation of his life, it would be him. What did he say? Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. Rather than gripe, he offered his sufferings for our salvation.
I find that today’s readings are calling us to a life of joy. On the positive side, incorporate gratitude into your life. You will be like Bartimaeus, filled with gratitude and motivated to follow after Christ. But, also, on the negative side, remove griping and complaining from your life. We should offer up our difficulties out of our love for Christ. If we can incorporate these two practices then the words of the Psalm will be ours: The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy!
