Some reflections on last Sunday’s gospel (Mk 10:46 – 52). Why not share them with your classes?

The Beast from the East may be no more than a distant memory now, but hard as that have been for us, last winter weather events elsewhere remind us surely that while we may have the worst weather nonetheless we have the best climate.

Weather events here do not generally lead to drought, or to natural disaster. The Hurricanes, tornados, cyclones and earthquakes that lead others in far off countries to leave their homes and towns to seek shelter in safe places are unknown here.

We can be sure that this recent pattern of behaviour will be repeated this winter and countless peoples lives will be disrupted, some will even find themselves needing rescued.

Being rescued is an important theme in the Gospels. There are storms there too, the storm in the lake, certainly but more personal storms too that impact on peoples lives and from which they require rescuing.

Bartimaues , a beggar man, finds himself in the storm of darkness and blindness. He knows however that he is not helpless and when Christ passes shouts out,

Son of David have pity on me.

Having uttered his cry he is emboldened by his friends,

Take courage he is calling you. And the rest as they say is history.

Storms, as Bartimaeus life shows, are not only meteorological events. They can be physical and spiritual events, certainly they can be emotional happenings too. In the storm like Bartimaeus we need rescuing, healing if you like.  We are not helpless when life does not go to plan, our voice, like that of the blind man, can call on Christ.

Like him we need to be emboldened and encouraged so that when the storm passes, as it always will, we can follow Christ along the road.

Our Church finds itself in a storm, probably one of the greatest storms of its history. Its voice needs to call for Christ too, and its members too need to be courageous to take the correct decisions and do the right things. Storms, darkness, pain, the cross call it what you like, these together can lead us to Christ and help us follow him better on the road