St. Marcelline Church - Saint Marcelline Catholic Church

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
The prophet Jeremiah prophesies the end of the Babylonian
exile. He describes how the weak and sorrowful
people now return with joy. These are the scattered people
of God: the blind and the lame, the mothers and
pregnant women. They shall be led along an easy road so
that no one will stumble. The Lord’s kindness and mercy
are on all these weak and broken people.
Here and in Psalm 126 we find the most lovely
poetic images of God’s love and care for us. “Those that
sow in tears / shall reap rejoicing. Although they go forth
weeping, / carrying the seed to be sown, / they shall
come back rejoicing, / carrying their sheaves” (Psalm
126:5–6). Although God had to punish Israel for their
many sins, God never forgot them, scattered as they
were, and brings them all back to the land of their ancestors,
there to flourish and be joyful again. We can see in
this the hope and the promise of our own redemption,
gathered from the far corners of the earth into the great
banquet of God.
PRIEST, PROPHET, KING
In the letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is contrasted
with the priests of the First Testament, who, sinful themselves,
had to make sin offerings to God for themselves
as well as for the people. They had to make these offerings
over and over, because people sinned over and over.
But it is different with Christ. He is the High Priest,
Prophet, and King according to the line of Melchizedek.
He is not only the priest who makes the offering, but the
victim whose innocent blood cleanses our sins forever,
so that there is no more need for blood sacrifices. The
one sacrifice of Jesus is enough to cleanse our sins forever,
and we are blessed by God’s loving kindness in
giving us so great a gift.
SON OF DAVID
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, calls Jesus “Son of
David.” This is significant, because he proclaims prophetically
that Jesus is the one who, in the line of David,
would reign forever over God’s people. At Jesus’ call,
Bartimaeus “sprang up” (Mark 10:50) and boldly asked
Jesus for the gift of sight. We can be bold and confident
that when we ask for good things in faith, Jesus will
have pity on us, too, and grant us what we need to help
bring about the reign of God, which is already among us
in Christ.
After Jesus has restored Bartimaeus’ sight, he
tells him to “go your way” (Mark 10:52). Bartimaeus
chooses to follow Jesus, making Jesus’ Way his own
way. We, too, can ask God to help us see our way, that
we might walk more closely with Christ each day.
Today’s Readings: Jer 31:7–9; Ps 126:1–6; Heb 5:1–6; Mk
10:46–52
St. Marcelline
ASP2013
The Theme for 2013 is
“Radical Reversal”
The St. Marcelline ASP Group for 2013 is underway!
We are pleased to announce that we have thirty-one
teens and twelve adults who will begin their preparation
at our first meeting November 4th. Between November
4th and the date of our departure, July 12th, we will be
learning about one another; learning about the culture
of Appalachia; learning about construction; and learning
how to use power tools safely.
By the time we leave for West Virginia we will have
six strong teams who will be able to serve the needs of
six Appalachian families.
After all the “trick or treaters” have stopped
knocking on your door, don’t throw away the left
over goodies! Please drop the leftovers off at the
Parish Administration Center and the teens serving
at the soup kitchen will take the candy there to be
given to the guests. They will really appreciate the
treats!
Thank you!
Confirmation Sponsor Night for Confirmation 2 students
and their sponsors is October 28th in the family
room from 5:45 to 8:00 PM. If the sponsor is not
available, a (one) parent should accompany the student.