26-May-16

MK 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.
Reflection:
Bartimaeus, the blind man, on hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
Bartimaeus knew what he wanted.
He wanted to see, and he knew this may be his only chance to regain his sight.
So, persistently, he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me.”
Because he was blind, Bartimaeus had made his living begging by the roadside. Regaining his sight would mean that he would have to find a new way to provide a living for himself.
Yet, when asked by Jesus, "What do you want me to do for you?” Instantaneously, Bartimaeus answered, "Master, I want to see."
"Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way."
When we ask Jesus "in faith," He answers "immediately."
If Jesus were to ask me, "What do you want of me?" What would my response be? Why do I not persistently cry out and ask Jesus to give me what I want?
Is it because, unlike Baritmaeus, I am not ready to give up those things in this life which I have come to depend on?
Do I instead simply continue on in life, quietly praying, "God, may your will come about in my life," as if God is magically going to make my life what it should be, without taking personal responsibility to change myself?
It is when I am not able to see my own dependence on the things of this life that I am truly blind.
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar in today's gospel, calls me to meditate and reflect on what it is that I want from Jesus, and what it is that I am willing to sacrifice to attain the promises of Christ.

"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." - - Aldous Huxley