THIRIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
Confirmation Enrollment
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama. If you are familiar with palindromes – words or phrases that are spelled the same forwards and backwards – you know that this may very well be the longest palindrome in the English language.
The liturgy for this Ordinary Sunday has nothing to do with palindromes; but it does offer for our consideration a man, a plan, and a canal or channel. The man is Jesus. The plan is the restoration of the human race in a redeemed community. And the canal is Jesus’ priesthood through which we fallen human beings are reconnected with the all-holy God.
Jeremiah is the unlikely voice through which God speaks his promises. I say unlikely because Jeremiah is usually regarded as a prophet of doom. But at one point, Jeremiah suddenly changes his tone. In the face of destruction and despair he begins to speak on God’s behalf words of consolation and hope. “Behold I will bring them back from the land of the North. I will gather them from the ends of the world. I will console them and guide them. I am a father to Israel.”. In Jeremiah’s words there is the promise of a human race drawn back into God’s embrace, a true communion in which the weak and challenged and vulnerable are accorded special care.
The Letter to the Hebrews ends with a description of Jeremiah’s promised fulfilled, as the earthly Jerusalem gives way to a great throng of angels in festal gathering, linked to the souls of just people made perfect. How to get sinful human beings from this troubled, often violent world? It requires a channel, a pathway through which God’s merciful, life-giving love can flow into human hearts and human beings can ascend into the divine presence. Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is the channel, and his priesthood exercised on Calvary is the means of reconnecting God and men. Jesus embodies the infinite power of divine love in weak, frail human flesh. In his embrace we find ourselves in that heavenly communion where all are made whole.
How do we each, individually find ourselves caught up in Jesus’ gracious embrace, enfolded in heavenly light? The passage from Mark’s Gospel shows us how it is done. A blind man, Bartimaeus, cries out for mercy, for divine pity on his condition. Hearing that Jesus is close, he cries out more insistently. The crowd rebukes him, telling him that he is nobody, a man wasting his voice calling on One who will not or cannot help him. Yet Jesus stops and calls Bartimaeus to himself. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Master, I want to see.” “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” Jesus calls. Jesus heals. Jesus sends.
Today, the Synod of Bishops that has been meeting in Rome to talk about young people and their role in the Church is coming to an end. Among the participants is a group of 30 young adults in their 20’s from around the world. And they have spoken up about their plans. For Daniel Bashir, for example, a 25-year-old medical doctor from Pakistan, the synod was so moving that he has decided to study to become a priest when he returns home. “For me this was a life-changing experience,” Daniel said. “I have hope in my heart now.” Another read a letter to the Holy Father on behalf of all the young people. It said:
Dearest Pope Francis,
We, the young people present at the Synod, want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and joy to you for having given us the space to make this little piece of history together. New ideas need space and you gave it to us. Today’s world, which presents us young people with unprecedented opportunities but also a lot of suffering, needs new answers and new power of love. There is a need to rediscover hope and live the happiness that is experienced in giving more than receiving, working for a better world.
We want to affirm that we share your dream: an outgoing Church, open to all, especially the weakest, a field hospital Church. We are already an active part of this Church and we want to continue to make a concrete commitment to improve our cities and schools, and the social and political world and working environments, by spreading a culture of peace and solidarity and by putting the poor at the centre, in whom Jesus himself is recognized.
At the end of this Synod we wish to tell you that we are with you and with all the bishops of our Church, also in times of difficulty. We ask you to continue the journey you have undertaken and we promise you our full support and daily prayer.

Those young adults, like Bartimaeus, are raising their voices to proclaim that they, and so many like them, want to see Jesus, to throw off their cloaks and follow him. And today, too, all of you who are submitting your names to be enrolled for the Sacrament of Confirmation are declaring that you will take your places beside them. May God who has begun a good work in you bring it to perfection.