Opening Prayer

Our living God,
you are very near to us in our joys and pains.
Give us eyes of faith and love to see
the mission you have given us in life
and the grace and courage to carry it out.
Make us also clear-sighted enough to see
the needs of people who cry out their misery
or suffer in silence,
that we may bring them your healing compassion
and lead them to you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: 1 Pt 2:2 – 5, 9 –12

Beloved:
Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that
through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted
that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, rejected by
human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual
house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were no people
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away
from worldly desires that wage war against the soul. Maintain
good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you
as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify
God on the day of visitation.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 100:2, 3, 4, 5

R./ Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R./ Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R./ Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him;
bless his name.
R./ Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R./ Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Gospel Reading Introduction
         Jesus cures a blind man. Not only is his eyesight restored, but he also begins to see with faith who Jesus is. Note that the crowd first try to silence him but his faith is unstoppable and cannot be silenced.

Gospel Reading: Mk 10:46– 52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable
crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by
the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on
me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he
kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind
man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling
you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for
you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.