30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B

-

 


WHEN THE BLIND LEADS ANOTHER BLIND

Mk 10: 46-52

 

 


 

Many of the healing encounter of Jesus never mentioned the names of those who were healed. We just know that the Lord healed a “man with a withered hand,” a “woman who had hemorrhages,” the “daughter of Jairus,” or the “centurion’s servant.” That is why in today’s Gospel we have the rare opportunity to know the blind man who was healed. Introducing… Bartimaeus!

 

Why was the blind beggar Bartimaeus explicitly named? Was it because his father Timaeus was well known? Was it to prove that Jesus did actually heal a real and not fictitious person? Or was it because this blind man has a special message addressed to our blindness today? I favor the last one!

 

When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he shouted: Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me! No, he didn’t pray silently; nor did he whisper fervently his humble wish. Instead, he shouted at the top of his voice that it embarrassed people and they told him to stop his noisy display. But Bartimaeus’ plan succeeded; Jesus noticed him, called him, and healed him totally.

 

He may be blind, but Bartimaeus had clear interior eyes, eyes of faith. He saw in Jesus his only hope. He saw in Jesus overflowing power. He saw in Jesus the God of mercy passing by. And he would not miss this chance to meet him and beg him, not for coins, but for light! Blindness recognized the source of light and grabbed it for himself.

 

Today, one of the most treasured prayers of the Orthodox believers is called the Jesus Prayer, a modified version of the blind man’s. They repeat as mantra: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This prayer is known to bring calmness when one is anxious, sleep when one is troubled at night, and freedom from temptation and the attacks of demons. Try repeating this prayer slowly, meditatively, on your Rosary beads. It helps me a lot, too…

 

What darkness do you now experience in your life? Doubts? Financial problems? Relational problems? Stress or fear? Sickness? Remember that when we are blinded by the dark forces of this world, Jesus listens to the cry of the blind who calls to him. In darkness, do not lose hope. In darkness, learn to shout and believe in your heart: Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOLY MASS IN FILIPINO (TAGALOG)

-
Image
ANG BANAL NA MISA PAMBUNGAD NA AWIT Pari:    Sa ngalan ng Ama, at ng anak, at ng Espiritu Santo. Bayan: Amen P.         Sumainyo ang Panginoon. B.        At sumainyo rin. P.         Mga kapatid, aminin nating ang ating mga kasalanan upang tayo’y maging marapat sa pagdiriwang ng banal na paghahaing ito.             Sinugong Tagapagpagaling sa mga nagsisisi,             Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. B.        Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. P.        Dumating na Tagapag-anyayang mga makasalana’y magsisi,             Kristo, kaawaan mo kami. B.         Kristo, kaawaan mo kami...
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 1: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
FIRST DAY: DECEMBER 16   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo First Reading: Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8   Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.   Hay is the one who does this, whoever holds fast to it: Keeping the sabbath without profaning it, keeping one’s hand from doing any evil. The foreigner joined to the Lord should not say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people”; Nor should the eunuch say, “See, I am a dry tree.” And foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, to become his servants—All who keep the sabbath without profaning it and hold fast to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and t...
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 2: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
SECOND DAY: December 17   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo   First Reading: Genesis 49:2, 8-10   Jacob called his sons and said [to them]: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise—your hand on the neck of your enemies;the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s cub, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches, lies down like a lion, Like a lioness—who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and he receives the people’s obedience.”     A.             Short Background on the First Reading   1. Who was Judah? Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (or Isra...
Read more