Overcoming The Forces of Discouragement In Our Mission

Mission Sunday Readings

“…And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Jesus son of David, have pity on me.”

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“The remedy for discouragement is humble, persevering prayer. God has promised us victory and in the end, eternal life. We must respond to God’s infallible promises with confidence in He alone Who can (and ardently wills to) give us the strength to persevere.” –PJ Michel

My Dearest Friends in Christ,

I welcome you to this WORLD MISSION SUNDAY. We recommit ourselves today to our common vocation, through Baptism, to be missionaries through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

The readings of today demonstrate that our God is a merciful and loving God who is always touched by the cries of His people and is ready to restore their hope. To invite God into our life, we must first overcome the forces of discouragement with unflinching faith.

The first reading tells us how a forgiving, kind, and compassionate God has been healing the spiritual blindness of His Chosen People, who were subjected to captivity in Babylon, by liberating them and bringing them back to their homeland. The Jerusalem journey of Jesus in the company of the lame and the blind connects the first reading to today’s Gospel. The healing of the blind Bartimaeus is also seen as the fulfillment of the joyful prophecy of Jeremiah telling of the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon to their homeland.

Bartimeaus, though blind, had a resolute faith that overcame the discouraging voices of the mob. Are you becoming discouraged and entertaining thoughts of giving up on God because you believe your condition is beyond remedy? Are your family and friends discouraging you from waiting on God?

When we look at the story of Bartimaeus in today’s Gospel, we are encouraged and all the more hopeful that we have a God who listens and hears our cry even amid the crowd. So I will invite you to reflect on these today.

First, Bartimaeus was strategically positioned. He stood by the roadside begging and when he learned Jesus was passing through that route he shouted for help. God will always hear us from wherever and whenever we call upon Him. Yet I have this conviction and believe that to obtain Divine favors, we need to make ourselves available by positioning ourselves strategically to be seen and heard. This strategic positioning could be by way of visits to the Blessed Sacrament, Adorations, daily Mass, fasting, prayers, giving alms and above all giving selfless services rendered to others. These put us in a position of being heard by God. If Bartimaeus was not strategically positioned by the roadside, I doubt if this discouraging crowd would have led him to Jesus. In life, you have to be in certain places and at certain times to receive certain benefits. Spiritually too, God can locate you anywhere but you must not fail to present yourself before His Holy Presence. Praying before the Blessed Sacrament, for instance, evokes a certain feeling of being heard and seen by God, which is very efficacious in healing, restoring hope, and overcoming discouragement. Prayer fills us with internal consolations. It also recharges our spiritual energy and gives us patience to keep waiting on God.

Second, we must overcome the discouraging voices that pull us down in faith. They rebuked Bartimaeus to be silent but he shouted all the more. There are discouraging voices who tell you that it can never work, nor practically speaking it is not possible. Some people even mockingly ask you why waste your time waiting and hoping on God. Dear child of God, you know there nothing is impossible with God. Never accept defeat before going to war because your chances of victory are high when God takes the lead and when you don’t give up. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us.” (cf. Rom 5:5)

There are many forces of discouragement in our world today, like the voice of the crowd rebuking Bartimaeus to be silent. It takes a determined will and resolute faith to achieve our goals in life or obtain favors from God. If you don’t know what you want or where you are going, others will decide for you. We are often discouraged because we limit God’s ability to solve our problems. This is a type of spiritual blindness. St. Paul admonishes us to walk by faith and not by sight.(cf. 2 Cor 5:7) When we lose faith, we are spiritually blind. Sin could also lead us to spiritual blindness. We have to pray to have a clear vision of Christian values and priorities in our lives and to acknowledge the presence of God dwelling in ourselves and our neighbors. A clear spiritual vision enables us to see the goodness in others, to express our appreciation for all that they have been doing for us and to refrain from criticizing their performance.

Therefore do not be intimidated by the crowd or anyone. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (cf. Rom 8:15) God will never fail to listen to the voice of faith. It is always faith at work in our relationship with God; without faith then hope is gone. Do not forget these words of Christ in a hurry, “…for I am always with you until the end of time.” Matt 28:20

Third, Jesus had pity for Bartimaeus, who came to Him because his faith overcame the discouraging voice of the crowd. It wasn’t his voice but his persistent faith that attracted Jesus and Jesus endorsed this fact by telling him your faith has healed you. He was asked to make a request even though Jesus already knew what would be the greatest need of a blind man. Jesus asked Bartimaeus to voice what he wanted from Him because God wants you to make your petitions known to Him. He already knows what you are going through and what you need, but wants you to voice it out as a request. This is why we are encouraged to make requests through Masses and commend everything to God in prayers. In prayers, our voices are heard. A prayer made in faith is efficacious and always attracts the kindness of God. “…You do not have because you do not ask God.” (cf. James 4:2) Do not make the excuse God knows. Yes, He knows but you have to ask.

Finally, when Bartimaeus received his sight, he followed Jesus on His way. Many would have gone off to celebrate with family and friends and throw parties. While I do not condemn these, we have to be mindful of this very fact that greater devotion and closeness to God should be the fruit and response for every good thing we receive from God. We often fall back into sin when our prayers are answered. Be a careful Child of God because the worst things could happen when you abuse privileges and blessings from God. Miracles are God’s expressions of His Love to draw us closer to Him.

I cannot conclude this reflection without a word on the second reading of this Mission Sunday which rightly expresses the nature of the priesthood of Christ. As a Priest and Mediator between God and man, Christ was a Missionary. Today we pray for our priests and all missionaries that in their weaknesses they may find strength in God who has called them to serve. As Catholics we are commissioned at Baptism to e part of this missionary endeavor, through religious vocation, prayers, and financial support to the poor and the Church. May we remain focused on this mission and never get discouraged.

We pray that God will strengthen our faith to overcome any form of discouragement in life and our spiritual struggle. Happy Sunday.