GROW: Although today’s Gospel recounts the healing of Bartimaeus’ physical blindness, the story is a summons for each of us to be healed of our spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness, an effect of sin, clouds our ability to perceive who we are and who God is. Paradoxically, Bartimaeus’ spiritual eyesight is clear; he recognizes who Jesus is and he sees his own desperate need for Jesus’ help. For us, however, sin acts like dust, obstructing our vision and preventing us from perceiving God’s presence.

GROW: Our world lays down rules for greatness: wealth, accomplishment in the performing arts, beauty, business acumen. Hmmm. I don’t recall hearing any of these attributes in the Scripture passages today. What I do remember is Jesus saying that whatever authority the disciples exercise must be rendered as service rather than for personal gain: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.”

GROW: All this talk about wisdom in today’s readings ... why should we care? Born of a familiarity with the heart of God, wisdom is a virtue that grants us discernment to know right from wrong and to follow God’s plan. It is so important to the life of the disciple that it is a gift given to us by the Holy Spirit.

GROW: Everything in God’s creation is intended to reflect his goodness and proclaim his glory. It’s not hard to understand this idea when we behold the majesty of the sea. It can be more difficult, however, to remember this is also present in each of us and in our relationships – including that relationship God designed for man and woman: marriage. Our ability to turn away from God means that we sometimes reject, rather than reflect, him.

GROW: Experience, education, and brainpower give parents wisdom and foresight. They can see the bigger picture and determine, for example, that eating an entire box of cookies will make their child sick – no matter how appetizing the cookies appear. God, likewise, has a perspective that is infinitely broader and deeper than our own. This divine perspective is the lens through which we must understand the strong language Jesus uses in today’s Gospel.

GROW:How often does ambition get in the way of holiness? In today’s Gospel, Jesus foretells his death, and the Apostles respond by arguing over who among them is most important. But the Apostles’ aspirations and motivation stand in stark contrast to the humility necessary for discipleship; their lack of understanding signals a need for instruction. “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all,” Jesus explains.

GROW: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel don’t leave much room for “secondary interpretation.” Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. At first glance this may sound intimidating, but let’s think about it in the light of today’s readings. By denying ourselves, we are able to turn more fully toward God and toward others. Isn’t that what James is asking of us in his letter? He says this of faith: “if it does not have works, [it] is dead.” He even uses an example that might sound like something we would hear in a homily today: he asks, if you see someone who doesn’t have proper food or clothing and you simply wish them well without offering assistance, what good are you doing?

GROW: My first thought upon reading today’s Scriptures is that by healing the deaf man, Jesus is fulfilling what God had said he was going to do since the time of the prophet Isaiah: “making the eyes of the blind see and opening the ears of the deaf,” as we heard in the first reading. And indeed this is what Jesus did. But when I re-read the Gospel I was intrigued by the line: “[Jesus] took him off by himself away from the crowd.” Jesus had a reputation as a healer and a teacher, so it stands to reason that he healed people in front of the crowds often. Why, then, does Jesus remove the man from the crowd?

Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

GROW: Traditions are so important to us! They help define and preserve our heritage and our communities while also offering comfort and stability. They shape our human world as we see and live it. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus scolds the Pharisees and scribes for allowing “the tradition of the elders” to drive them to hypocrisy: “In vain do they worship [the Lord], teaching as doctrines human precepts.” He accuses them, saying “You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.”

Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32; Jn 6:60-69

GROW: “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve.” Not much nuance or wiggle room in that phrase, is there? This is what Joshua said to the people in today’s first reading, when he gathered together all the tribes of Israel. Although these were God’s chosen people, they still had to make a conscious choice – a decision to live with God and be obedient to him, or not. Jesus’ followers and disciples faced the same test of resolve in today’s Gospel, as he had just revealed himself as the bread of life. Some left and some stayed. We, too, must decide, today and every day. Too busy or distracted to attend to God? Then what? Do we have a plan? In this busy world, there is always something calling out for our attention. But there is nothing more important for our happiness in this life and the next than to stay focused on a life of service to Christ and his Church. For, as Peter says, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The Twelve have made the choice as to whom they will serve: they will serve the Lord.

Prov 9:1-6; Eph 5:15-20; John 6:51-58

GROW: We tell our children, from a young age through their teen years: make wise choices. It’s a sort of catch-all to cover the endless possibilities of circumstances – good, bad, or neutral – they might find themselves in. But what does it mean to be wise? To have wisdom? In today’s first reading from Proverbs, we are shown a depiction of wisdom herself, spreading a table where the guests will dine when they arrive. “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!” she says. This invitation is echoed in the Gospel, by Wisdom personified: Jesus Christ. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” Simplicity of heart and the forsaking of foolishness are the only criteria for accepting the offering of wisdom. It seems we are to come and be fed. But how do we discern, in our fast-paced, consumer-based world, what exactly is a wise choice? It’s hard to advance in true wisdom; it is acquired by the humble and the simple, not the busy and the overcomplicated. Often, what the Christian deems important the world finds “foolish.” It can be hard to keep our priorities rightly ordered, but advancing on the path to wisdom begins first by recognizing the centrality of God in our lives and humbly allowing him in.

1 Kgs 19:4-8; Eph 4:30-5:2; Jn 6:41-51

GROW: In the first reading, we encounter the prophet Elijah as he is fleeing for his life from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. He accomplishes a day’s journey, then sits under a tree and prays for death. This is a tough scene! He is at the lowest point a human being can be. Yet in this darkest moment of despair, the light of faith flickers: Elijah cries out to God. He cries out for what he thinks he wants, and God provides him with what he needs, sending an angel (a messenger) to him with food and water for nourishment and strength. Thus fortified, Elijah continues his journey to Horeb. God took care of his tired, hungry, and despairing child. And over time, and through generations, his people continued to cry out to him, and in abounding love, God took care. Yet they remained separated from him. So he sent them, and the whole world, another messenger to bring food and drink for nourishment and strength: his Son. Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” With even just a flicker of faith at our lowest point, or in the best of times, we call upon the Lord and can receive the perfect nourishment of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Through God’s merciful love, he is food for this life and the next.

Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-25

GROW: When have you grumbled against God instead of consenting, trusting, and believing he would see you through to a brighter future? In this first reading from Exodus, the whole Israelite community laments over their wanderings in the desert; their earthly focus on hunger and thirst leads them to believe slavery in Egypt would have been better than God’s freedom for them. When we are struggling for whatever reason, it’s easy to forget all that God has done for us in the past and all he desires to do for us in the future. We may not even recognize the very life-giving and life-sustaining “bread” that lays before us, much as the Israelites did not recognize the bread that lay before them in the desert. In spite of our hard-heartedness at times, however, God is truly patient; he loves us beyond measure. Just as he did not condemn the Israelites, he does not condemn us but rather, calls us back to him time and again with love and mercy.