First Reading: 1 Macabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirty seven
of the kingdom of the Greeks.In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
“Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.”
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing.Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked
who forsake your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me,
your law I have not forgotten.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may keep your precepts.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors
who are far from your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Gospel: Luke 18:35-43
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.
This Gospel is one tree with many branches. Blindness, Poverty, Healing . . . .
Persistence.
This man's persistence is what speaks clearly to me today. This poor, blind man called out to the passing Messiah, but Christ did not respond to him upon his first calling. It says, in fact, that this blind man was not being heard so he kept calling out all the more. He had faith that Jesus would listen and then Jesus stopped, asked what he wanted, and granted His simple prayer.
Would Jesus have stopped if the blind man had stopped calling out after his first try?
Persistent prayer tells God about how much faith we have in Him. Jesus could have said, "Have sight," and walked away. He could have simply told the hemorrhaging woman, "Be healed of your affliction." But He makes a point for us that He makes with many of the weary people we watch him come in contact with in the Gospels . . . .
"Your faith has saved you."
These ailing people we see in the Gospels . . . they never give up hope. Their faith and unceasing hope in being healed by Christ's power saves them. They never surrender to despair. They call out and reach out to God knowing that He hears, knowing that God has both perfect timing and perfect power.
The Lord will never tire of us having the faith to keep asking Him, to keep praying, to keep trusting that He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him.
Today, may we have the faith of this blind man . . . the faith that he possessed that caused him to keep calling out to Christ. He may answer you the first time, or the sixth, or the three hundredth. He wants to see us rely on the deep faith that in His timing, according to His perfect will, He will respond.
Let's never give up hope, never surrender to despair. Call out + reach out to God.Click to tweet
Consider the blind man's persistence today . . . . Is there an area or prayer in your life that you quit praying because you felt the Lord was not listening? Consider offering that prayer again today.
Emily Wilson planned her whole life to become a sports reporter but turned out to be a Catholic musician and speaker at the hand of God. She lives out of her suitcase and travels across the world speaking to people of all ages. The heart of her ministry is offering encouragement to teen girls in search of their true identity, and she loves ever second of it. You can find out more about her here.
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