In preparation for the Extraordinary Year of Mercy which is about a month and a half away, the Gospel reading from last Sunday is an amazing example on the love and mercy of God. This Sunday's Gospel is taken from Mark chapter 10 verses 46 to 52; it tell of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus who calls out to Jesus to heal him. Whilst calling out some of the disciples silenced him but he persisted and kept calling on Jesus. When Jesus heard him, he called him and asked what does Bartimaeus want, he said he wanted to see again, and as simple as that, Jesus made him see again thanks to his faith.
When listening to this Gospel a few perspective on our faith came to mind. I really love this Gospel, because it opens up an invitation for us on how to receive the mercy and healing power of God. Furthermore, it shows a practical, so to say, guide on how to actually receive that mercy and healing; a clear method.
"Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road."
First and foremost, let us compare ourselves to the poor Bartimaeus - we know that he is blind, we know that since he is blind, he is considered an outcast of some sort in the community, whatmore than that is he needs something to cure him. Now take that example and compare to us, how blind are we? Blind spiritually? Blindness is also a reflection on what we are lacking of in our lives; this blindness however is not something we ignore, it is actually something we know that lacks in us yet there isn't something we can do about it because we don't know how or the chance hasn't passed us yet.
"When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.'"
Now is when we that opportunity comes walking by, the answer that we have been looking and yearning for. When we know that the chance of renewing ourselves is at hand, we reach out to it, only to find that...
"And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder.."
Here we look at the obstacles in which hinders us from getting that grace, that healing power which we require so much. Reflecting on our lives, we will look at this on how the people around us or the environment itself pulls us away from getting to be our better selves. Look at it this way, deep in our hearts we know we want to change, to become the better self, but do we receive the support we get from our family or friends, our colleagues or even fellow-Church goers? Sometimes the hindrance from others retracts us from being that better self, yet we need to be like Bartimaeus and continue to shout because...
"Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’"
And that is how we receive God's grace; the invitation that Jesus calls towards us. After calling us to him, Jesus asked the man
"What do you want me to do for you?"
It is not that Jesus does not know what you want, here is stating that, in order to receive the grace of God, we need to be sure of what we need. Bertimaeus knew it, because he was blind, similar to ourselves, upon receiving the invitation of God's love, are we sure and bold enough to ask what we really need? Are we certain that what we need is going to make us the better person we long to be? When asked this question to ourselves, be sure that we be honest and more importantly direct.
Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned..."
This is where we tell Him our desire, our need of healing. And in the many times Jesus has said this (Luke 7:50, Luke 17:19, cf Mark 5:43), it is clear that our faith in him, our belief in him, is the key for us to receive the blessings and healing we require.
"... and he followed him along the road."
Then again, the receiving is not just enough; like many people we might know, yes they have accepted Jesus but the harder part is following him. Living it up to the teachings of the Gospel is no easy feat; receiving God's grace is easier with faith, but living it up to it is where we fail. That is why we must always be like this poor Bartimaeus and keep calling out to Jesus to heal, and upon receiving that healing, keep on the journey with Him.
In addition to that, here are another two wonderful reflection on this week's Sunday Gospel:
Word to Life - October 25, and
Deacon's bench - Homily for 30th Sunday
