Opening the Word is a series of prompts from The Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies to help focus our minds and hearts on the Sunday Mass Readings. After Jesus revealed Himself to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). Our Lord desires to enflame our hearts also by revealing Himself to us in His Word. Take this opportunity to pause, and allow the Lord to make Himself known to you through the opening of the Scriptures which will ready your eyes to see Him in the breaking of the bread.
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:1-6
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
Step 1: Begin in prayer, asking the Lord to open your heart to receive how He wants to make Himself known to you. Then, attentively read the Scriptures.
Step 2: Consider these meditation prompts that follow from the readings:
- The first reading depicts the Lord as the great ‘deliverer,’ the One who consoles and saves His people as a “father.” In what ways has the Lord done similarly for you? Reflect back on a time when God acted decisively in your life for your good, and consider how that revealed the love of the Father.
- How does Hebrews help us to see the fulfillment of two previously distinct OT roles—namely, King and High Priest—in the one person of Jesus Christ?
- Consider the passage of the blind men in light of the story of the Rich Young Man that comes before it and was just recently read (Mk 10:17-22). They both initiate a conversation with Jesus, how does each approach Him? How does each leave their encounter with Jesus? Ask as you read these two accounts: which man could truly see and which man was truly blind?
Step 3: Conclude with a prayer of gratitude and ask the Lord to keep these Words in your heart.
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