RCIA SESSIONS IN THE PRESENTATION ROOM OF THE PARISH OFFICE FROM 7:00-8:30

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“Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them” (Jeremiah 31:7-9). We do not need to be perfect to be brought back – far from it! The “blind and the lame” will be included among those restored to the kingdom. We do not know if Bartimaeus read Jeremiah, but he knew he was blind and he knew Jesus could show him the way that he did not yet see. Jesus gives Bartimaeus the opportunity to witness in humility to his need: “Master, I want to see.” Jesus then responds by pointing to the deeper inner sight that Bartimaeus already possesses: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Bartimaeus can go his way in faith because his way is the way in which the “Light of the World” leads him. This path of faith brings salvation and the fullness of light and life. Those without the courage of Bartimaeus are not without hope. Children of God who want to be with God must be freed from attachments to fear, but with God they can still be saved. “When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing” (Psalm 126). We are reminded to pray for those who have gone before us as well. Some may have groped as in darkness for the light. God finds a way where all may seem lost, and so we pray in hope for ourselves and those who have gone before us. “Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven” explains the Compendium of the Catechism (210). “Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance” (211). So whether it is in this world or beyond, we have the simple and profound means of coming to the assistance of one another, each of us seeking the light and path that leads us to “the happiness of heaven”.
 
In Christ, son of Mary,
Fr. Russell