May 30, 2024
Thursday for di Eighth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
Di Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ—Solemnity
Thursday after Holy Trinity or, for places where dis day no be holy day of obligation, di Sunday wey follow
For United States, dem dey always move am go di Sunday after di Most Holy Trinity
May 30, 2024 (For places where dem dey celebrate am on Thursday)
June 2, 2024 (For places where dem move am go Sunday)
Listen for English
As Jesus dey comot from Jericho with His disciples and plenty people, Bartimaeus, one man wey no dey see, wey be Timaeus pikin, siddon for roadside dey beg. When e hear say na Jesus of Nazareth, e begin cry out dey talk say, “Jesus, Son of David, pity me.” Mark 10:46–47
How you dey pray? You dey ever “cry out” to Jesus with strong conviction and all your heart? This man wey no dey see, Bartimaeus, show us fine example of how we suppose pray to our Lord. First of all, di man get need. Di way e no fit see stand for every weakness and need wey you get for life. So, wetin you dey struggle with pass for life? Which sin wey you don get used to dey trouble you pass? Or wetin dey cause you di most sorrow?
To see our weakness na di first step. Once we know our greatest needs, we must also “cry out” to our Lord just as Bartimaeus do. When Bartimaeus hear say na Jesus, somehow, e sense inside im soul say Jesus want heal am. How e take sense this? E listen to God voice inside am. Yes, e hear di noise of plenty people wey dey talk about Jesus as He dey pass. But this one alone no fit don move am to cry out and know say na Jesus be di source of di mercy wey e need. Wetin move am na di clear voice of God, as di Holy Spirit dey move im heart inside im soul, dey show am say e need Jesus and say Jesus want heal am.
At first, di people wey dey around Bartimaeus scold am and tell am to keep quiet. And if Bartimaeus faith bin weak, e fit don listen to di crowd and keep quiet as e lose hope. But e clear well-well say e no only refuse to mind how other people dey scold am; e “continue to cry out even more.”
For here, Bartimaeus give us two examples of how we must turn to our Lord. First, we must sense His gentle but clear presence inside our soul. We must recognise His voice and di way He dey move our heart through His grace. He want heal us, and we must sense His presence for our lives from inside us. Secondly, we must focus with all our heart on that voice inside us. Di crowd wey scold Bartimaeus stand for di many “voices” and temptations wey we dey face for life, wey dey try stop us from crying out with faithfulness and all our heart to di God wey dey speak to us. Nothing suppose stop us as we don make up our mind with all our heart to call on Jesus with our need.
Today, reflect on how Bartimaeus be like picture of you. See yourself as person wey really need our Lord, and listen for His clear voice. You dey hear Him? You dey sense say He dey pass? As you do, cry out to Him with all your heart, with strong desire and conviction. And if you notice say temptations dey try silence your prayer and faith, put even more heart into your prayer and cry out “even more” to our Lord. He go hear you, call you come meet Him and give you di grace wey He desire to give.
My Jesus wey full of mercy, You dey pass by all di time, and Your divine presence dey draw me come near You. Give me di grace wey I need to see wetin I need and to call on You with all my heart. Dear Lord, make nothing ever stop me from praying dis prayer with all my heart, and when temptation come, make I call on You even more. Jesus, na You I trust.
Novena to di Sacred Heart
Dates for di Novena: May 29 – June 6, 2024
June 7, 2024: Solemnity of di Sacred Heart
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
