Reflections of the Kingdom

  Lectionary: 149 Reading 1 -  Jer 31:7-9 Responsorial Psalm -  Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 Reading 2 -  Heb 5:1-6 Alleluia -  Cf. 2 Tm 1:10 Gospel -  Mk 10:46-52 “Master, I want to see …”  You would think this would be obvious right? What else would a blind man ask for? Well … as you might expect, there is more to this story than that. To begin with, that was not the First thing that Bartimaeus asked for … that would be for mercy … just like what we heard in our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah … The LORD has saved his people, the remnant of Israel … I will gather them from the ends of the earth, the blind and the lame in their midst … I will console them and guide them … so that none shall stumble. It is because a promise such as this that a blind outcast could Expect God to hear him in his distress … so it should not be that surprising for Bartimaeus to have this in mind when he First cried out … Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. If we lo...

After Action Report It has been an interesting month following my ordination.  Immediately after the ceremony, I was handed my official letter of assignment, along with my enumerated faculties as a permanent deacon in good standing.  Everything there was as expected, with my subsequent debut as a deacon being the [required] thanksgiving mass for the 9 am service at my assigned parish.  The assignment letter specifies two immediate actions for me to take ... to respond to he bishop acknowledging that I have received this letter AND to develop a Contract of Diaconal Service detailing the expectations of my time [over the coming year] ... with no specific guidance for either. I had been working on my homily for the past few months, and with the benefit of an entire semester of homiletic training, I was fairly confident it would not be terrible ... but with almost no liturgical preparation, I was extremely nervous about everything else I would be expected to do ... even with...