October 25, 2015: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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. (Mark 10: 46-52)

Reflection

Jericho is 850 feet below sea level. It is both the lowest and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It took great effort for Bartimaeus to get Jesus’ attention.
He addressed Jesus by name. He also calls Him “Son of David”, which means descendant of David.
He says, “Master, I want to see”.
Jesus doesn’t need to touch Bartimaeus to heal him. With his healing, Bartimaeus quickly comes to see through his faith. His encounter with Jesus shows him that Jesus is ” the way”. Jesus can change our lives.

Action

Call out to Jesus. He will help you to see “the way”.
When you feel bad for someone, help them.
Thank God for his gift of sight to us.