Persistent Faith

October 27,  2024 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings:  Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52

How deep is your faith in God? Do you keep your faith despite the challenges that may shake you? Today’s Gospel speaks of the unwavering faith of Bartimaeus, the blind mind. He continued to call on Jesus all the more even when he was rebuked by many.

We see in Bartimaeus his persistent faith. Persistent faith is faith that grows consistently, not giving up but not demanding or insistent. Rather, it is faith that is dependent of how and when the Lord will answer. Persistent faith propels one to continue to hope even when things become hopeless.

Persistent faith also leads us to follow the way of Jesus. Many of us seek Jesus when we need Him but go one our own way after our prayer has been answered. This is self-serving faith. Bartimaeus showed us that receiving God’s mercy should lead us to total conversion. Persistent faith means we live in gratitude, always recognizing that everything that we have is God’s as such we are to be channels of charity and mercy.

Persistent faith moves us to proclaim the goodness of the Lord in all our ways. The first reading tells us to proclaim the saving grace of the Lord. How do we do that? The second reading tells us how. 

We do proclaim the saving grace of God by glorifying not ourselves in our achievements or good works but only God! We submit our will to His will, that is, we do what we do according to the will of God because only when we do the will of God that our actions are worthy of glorifying the Lord. 

Call to Action for Catholic Living:  Do you have a persistent faith or a self-serving faith? May we always proclaim that the Lord has done great things for us and may the joy that fills us move us to bring Christ’s joy to others.