CHRIST-TELLER

Andrea Bocelli is a world-class tenor. He is also visually-impaired. His hits songs include “The Prayer” and “Con te partiro.” Before he was born on September 22, 1958 doctors advised his parents to abort him because they predicted that he will have a disability. But his mother overruled the doctors advise. He was born with congenital glaucoma.

As a child, he showed great passion for music. He started to play the piano at six. Soon he could play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, guitar and drums. At 12 years old, following a football accident that hit him in the eye, he became totally blind. Though blind, he studied at the University of Pisa and became a lawyer.

His break in music came in 1992. An Italian rock star requested him to record a demo of “Miserere” intended for renowned vocalist Luciano Pavarotti. On hearing the demo, Pavarotti was impressed by his voice. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the preliminary round of the 44^th Sanremo Music Festival, the most popular Italian song contest getting the highest mark ever recorded for a newcomer.

Today, he is an international superstar in music. His disability did not hinder him to be successful either as a lawyer or as a singer. His secret? His positive mindset.

Today’s gospel narrates the story of the visually-impaired Bartimaeus. He is from Jericho. He is a beggar sitting at the side of the road. If we picture him – he is languishing. He is deteriorating and decaying. He feels so helpless, powerless and useless. But one day, Jesus gave him hope. Jesus gave him a new beginning!

Three Lessons from Bartimaeus: 3 C’s

Concern. He had a special and important concern: he can’t see. He is blind. His lack of sight is a big minus in his life. It brought him a lot of trouble, worries and disturbance. His disability brought great discomfort, hardships and many insecurities. He was no longer at the center of life; he was merely just at the roadside of life.

Courage. He had extraordinary courage. One day, he learnt about Jesus. The murmur and gossip of the crowd informed him he was someone special. He had power! He resolved not to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. Jesus was passing. He might not return to Jericho again. So he shouted. He pleaded. He raised his voice.

He was scolded by the crowd. He prayed all the more; even harder. Here is a beautiful lesson here: don not let people intimidate you! Do not allow your circumstances to discourage you. Pray harder. Never sulk or make the blame-God game. Bartimaeus pray louder until Jesus took notice of him.

Cured. Because of his unstoppable and courageous faith, he received what he asked for. His prayer was answered. His prayer connected him to Christ. Something inspiring happened to him after his cure. He became an intentional follower of Christ. He believed in Jesus. From then on, he became a Christ-bearer. He became a Christ-teller. He brought others to Jesus. He became a connector of others to Jesus. This is what Mission Sunday is all about – connecting others to Christ.

Today, our gospel invites us to be like Bartimaeus. Bring your concern to Jesus – whatever it is. Have a courageous faith. Do not be deterred or be discouraged by fear, insecurities or any obstacle. Pray harder. Pray stronger. Be a Christ-bearer; a Christ-teller. Be an intentional follower of Jesus.

 

SERVING WITH GLEE

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mk 10:35-45)

Alberto Marvelli (1918-1946) was a heroic young Italian who risked everything to serve the poor. At a young age, he learned to serve the poor through his mother. When a poor person comes to their home during meal time, she would say: “Jesus has come and he is hungry.” He grew up at the Salesian Oratory in Rimini. He became the president of the Catholic Action of the Diocese. While enjoying sports especially cycling, he also has a spiritual program of life. He would do half an hour of meditation and attend mass daily.

He was a shining light during the darkness of World War II. He put his faith into action. During the devastating bombing raids of the Nazi he would risk his life helping the wounded and serving those in need. He also released, with the help of friends, Jews and captives being shipped off on the trains to Nazi concentration camps.

Unfortunately, he died at 28 years old accidentally struck by an army truck. But his generous life and heroic charity was a real inspiration to many.

In today’s gospel, James and John expressed their ambition to share Jesus’ power. The other ten got angry because they also wanted to rise and be great. But for Jesus, greatness means service. “Whoever would be great must serve.” He invited his disciples to a paradigm shift because “the Son of Man came to serve and not be served.”

In fact, at the Last Supper, one of the most unforgettable lessons Jesus taught them was to wash their feet as an example. He pointed out: “If I, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you must also wash each other’s feet. In other words, they have to put their faith in action. They are to serve generously and humbly.

Here is a criterion for our service; from the acronym S.E.R.V.E

S: Sincerity – service with sincerity. We are to serve honestly with the right motive and good intention; not out of pretense or deceit.

E: Enthusiasm – it is a privilege to serve. Thus, we serve passionately and excitedly; not with mediocrity and lukewarmness.

R: Responsibly – to serve responsibly means doing our task dutifully because we will be held accountable for its result and consequence.

V: Vision –to serve well, we need a clear vision and mindset. We need to have the paradigm of Jesus: The Son of Man has come to serve and not be served. It’s a mindset of servant leadership.

E: Example – serving becomes an example. It is how one walks the talk. A leader leads by example. It is how he puts his faith in action.

Service need not be big or grand. It begins with small acts of kindness with a smile. Even our prayer time can be a service to others. Imagine our small acts multiplied by millions of kind-hearted people. I’m sure it can brighten up and transform our world.