It is a beautiful thing to experience that reassurance.

Many people find deep comfort and strength in the belief of 

prayer provides individuals with profound hope.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12

Like newborn children,

Seek eagerly for the pure milk of the word that will help you grow and reach salvation.

Did you not taste the goodness of the Lord? He is the living stone, rejected by people,

but chosen by God, and precious to him; set yourselves close to him, so that you, too,

become living stones, built into a spiritual temple, a holy community of priests,

offering spiritual sacrifices that please God, through Jesus Christ.

 

You are a chosen race, a community of priest-kings, a consecrated nation,

a people God has made his own, to proclaim his wonders. For he called you,

from your darkness, to his own wonderful light. At one stage, you were no people,

but, now, you are God's people, you had not received his mercy,

but now you have been given mercy.

 

Beloved, while you are strangers and exiles,

I urge you, not to indulge in selfish passions that wage war on the soul.

Live a blameless life, among the pagans; so, when they accuse you falsely of any wrong,

they may see your good works and give glory to God, on the day he comes to them.

 

Ps 100:2, 3, 4, 5

 We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd,

a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out,

"Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!" Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet,

but he shouted all the louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying, "

Take heart! Get up, he is calling you!" He immediately threw aside his cloak,

jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The blind man said, "Master, let me see again!" And Jesus said to him, "Go your way,

your faith has made you well." And, immediately, he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

God indeed answers our prayers.

In the Gospels, Jesus taught His disciples to ask and be specific in their requests to God.

Many of us miss opportunities in life because we struggle to establish clarity and direction.

Figuring out what we want can be a constant challenge. For instance, Jesus asked Bartimaeus,

the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?" Although Jesus was aware of the man's disabilities,

 

He still posed this question to encourage Bartimaeus to express his needs clearly.

By identifying our needs, we can more easily find solutions to them. Prayer acts as a tool for us

to assess what we truly want from God's unlimited generosity. God indeed answers our prayers,

but He also desires us to understand our priorities in life.