28-May-15

Gospel 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:
Faith is believing that which we hope for will come to pass.
Blindness, whether physical or spiritual, can be a burden. But, it can also be a place to hide, keeping us from seeing what we don't want to see and what we don't want to do.
We may think, and even say, that we want to "change our ways" but when the moment comes to act, we may falter and continue with those things that separate us from God.
Sometimes we "hope" for things that we really don't want.
Bartimaeus "hoped" to see but he also instinctively knew that faith required him to act.
Knowing that Jesus the man of miracles was close by, he immediately acted to get his attention by crying out, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
Others, wanting to hear what Jesus was saying, told Bartimaeus to "be silent," but he hollered all the more.
Hearing his cries, Jesus called for Bartimaeus to be brought to him.
Those in the crowd told Bartimaeus, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
For Bartimaeus, this was the moment of truth and those around him knew it. He had called out in faith and now the Master had called him. "Take courage" they told him.
For years, Bartimaeus had lived with both the burden of blindness and the security of depending on others.
Now was the moment of decision. Would he have the "courage" and step into the world of light and give up the dependency of "blindness." Being able to see would mean no more sitting, huddled with his cloak around him, begging and depending on others for his livelihood and sense of well being. Would he have the faith to step into the world of personal responsibility?
"Throwing his cloak aside, he sprang up and came to Jesus."
Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Bartimaeus' answer to Jesus' question not only would determine whether he would be able to have his physical sight, it also required he have the faith to give up his entire way of life. With physical sight, he would be expected to fend for himself, to live life "on life's terms" like everyone else.
“Master, I want to see," Bartimaeus replied.
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
The gospel story concludes by telling us, "Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way."
The message is clear. If I trust in Jesus Christ enough to cast aside "my cloak," those things I depend on to give me a false sense of security, then Jesus will give me new eyes to see.
And, if like Bartimaeus, I trust and follow Jesus, I will never be blind again.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6