30B, SUNDAY HOMILY, MARK 10:46-52, OCTOBER 27, 2024
1. STORY
In a temple,
there was a large clay statue of a Buddha. In the process of moving it by the use of a
crane to a new location, it began to crack. At the same time, it began to rain. It was lowered to the ground and covered with
a large canvas cloth to protect it from the rain. Later in the evening when a monk checked on
the Buddha with his flashlight, he saw a light coming from the crack. He got a hammer and chisel and began to chip
away at the clay. After many hours of
work, he saw that the clay statue was really a solid gold Buddha. He saw the outer layer of clay only to
discover that beneath the surface it was a solid gold statue.
2. GOSPEL, MARK
10:46-52
A. MASTER, I WANT
TO SEE
A blind man
called out to Jesus for help. Despite
being rebuked by many of the people, he continued calling out to Jesus for
help.
B. IMMEDIATELY,
HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT
Jesus called him
and he came running to Jesus who asked him what he wanted. He replied, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus was deeply impressed by his great faith
and immediately cured him.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A. JESUS, I WANT
TO SEE
There are two kinds of blindness, physical blindness and spiritual blindness. The physically blind cannot see physical things such as other people, buildings, trees, and flowers. The spiritually blind do not know there is a loving God, that Jesus has come to save us, and that after death there is heaven.
B. JESUS CURED
HIM
Just as Jesus
cured the physically blind person, so does Jesus cure our spiritual
blindness.
i) GOD
Jesus tells us
that there is a loving God who created the world and made man to live happily. Man sinned and brought suffering into the world.
Jesus was sent to save us. The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us.
ii) CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Jesus tells us
that the Church is the family of God. The
Catholic Church teaches us how to live a good life by doing good and avoiding
evil. It tells us of the seven
sacraments which are helps along the road of life.
iii) HEAVEN
Jesus tells us
that this life on earth is our temporary home. God has a special place as our permanent home,
heaven. Jesus wants to cure our
spiritual blindness which brings us happiness.
4. CONCLUSION
To the surprise
of the monks the clay Buddha was in fact a solid gold Buddha. The blind man asked Jesus for a cure. Jesus was deeply impressed by his faith and
cured him. Jesus cures our spiritual
blindness by telling us about God, the Church, and heaven. We thank Jesus for the great gift of spiritual
sight. We ask him to deepen and
strengthen our faith. We share with
others our knowledge of God, the Church, and heaven.
