Thursday June 1, 2023

“Often we lack what we need because we haven’t tried hard enough to find God’s help.”

Good News Reflection for:

Thursday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr
June 1, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

My Lord, give me the grace of being aware of what I need to pray for, and may no human reason intimidate me or distract me from turning to You.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/

Today’s Readings:

Sirach 42:15-25
Ps 33:2-9
Mark 10:46-52
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060123.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-june-1-2023

Is it foolish to trust God?

Have you ever been ridiculed for how you pray or what you ask God to provide? The blind man in today’s Gospel story was scolded when he boldly called out to Jesus for help. Probably, he annoyed the heck out of the people around him. They thought he was foolish to draw so much attention to himself. They thought, “What a pity. Somebody shut him up!”

In those days, people assumed that physical ailments and deformities were a punishment from God. Bartimaeus asked for his eyes to be healed — how foolish! But his rebukers were the blind ones. They could not see the true nature of Jesus. They missed the loving compassion that he gave to everyone who sought his help.

Have you been called a fanatic for trusting in God’s help? Would you dare to make a public witness of calling out to Jesus? Undoubtedly, you’d seem quite foolish against the facts of “reality”. But God’s reality isn’t the world’s reality.

Often, the person who ridicules us the most is us. “Shhh, don’t look foolish,” we warn ourselves. “Remember that guy you snickered at because he made a fool of himself? I don’t want to be laughed at, too.”

Look at the blind man’s enthusiasm: After he received healing, he immediately followed Jesus up the road. How do you respond to a blessing that God has given to you? Most of us deliberately subdue our joy, afraid of what others might think. But if the blind man had been concerned about the opinions of those who scolded him, he would not have received his miracle.

Of course we should not draw people’s attention onto ourselves unnecessarily. We become sinfully foolish if we’re bold in order to give ourselves glory at the expense of distracting people away from Jesus. But if our enthusiasm can bring others to Jesus, then we’re sinning if we keep our faith private.

We have much to be enthusiastic about. Today’s first reading presents a list of works that God has done. What’s on your list? Surely you could write your own “scripture” of what God has done in your life and your reasons for being enthusiastic about following Christ.

Such a list could be a great tool for lifting up your spirit when you feel discouraged or disappointed. It can also be a great witness to those who are going through trials that are similar to yours.

What do you need from Jesus? You should be willing to do anything to get it. Often we lack what we need because we haven’t tried hard enough to find God’s help. We’re too easily defeated, content to be victims of our circumstances, because we might look foolish or because we’re afraid of failure if we trust God in big ways. Now, that attitude is foolish!

To reflect more on this, use the prayer “A Prayer for God’s Protection” @ https://gnm.org/prayers/testimony-of-protection/.

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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