30TH SUNDAY: Mk 10:46-52
In the Gospel, we heard that the blind man prayed a beautiful prayer: “Son
of David, have mercy on me.”  Jesus turned to the blind man and asked him:
“What do you want me to do for you?” “Bartimaeus throws away his cloak,
the one he uses as s blanket on the ground as he begs during the day, and one
that covers him at night, and abandons something that he needed, for
something he wanted,” Master, I want to see!   Though Jesus knows our
needs, still, we need to ask for our hearts’ intentions and needs.  When we
are in a close intimate relationship with a person, we are ready to share
with the other person our needs, our fears, and our dreams!
When Jesus heard the calling of the blind man, Jesus stopped on the way.
If the man had not kept calling, Jesus might have continued on His
journey.  How many times, during our daily lives, does Jesus pass by us; do
we fail to recognize Jesus, and do we fail to call Jesus?  The problem is
that: too often, we have fixed ideas about Jesus.  It is easy to find Jesus
in the tabernacle or in the church but more difficult to find Jesus in a
person we do not like, with different ideas and expectations.  However,
Jesus can come in any form, any person, or any situation, even in the most
unlikely.
A well-known spiritual writer, Tony De Mello, tells a story, which may help
us to check our own spiritual blindness.  A Guru asked his disciples: “When
do you say that the night has ended, and now it is morning?”  The first
disciple said: “I say that it is morning when I can distinguish an oak tree
from a maple tree.”  The Guru said: “No.”  The second disciple said: “I
know it is morning when I can distinguish a cow from a sheep at a
distance.”  Once again, the Guru disagreed.  The third disciple replied:
“It is morning, when no star is visible in a bright sky.” The Guru said:
“That is also a wrong answer.” Then the Guru explained: “I know it is
morning when I can see and recognize a person as my own brother or sister.”
Most of the time, we fail to recognize the goodness in our own brothers and
sisters because of our pride and selfishness.  Sometimes, our judgmental,
materialistic, and individualistic attitudes can be obstacles that prevent
us, like the people, who tried to prevent the blind man and told him to be
silent when he called out: “Jesus, have pity on me.”

We all have our own spiritual and physical blindness. Therefore, we need
the light of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. Sometimes, our own anger,
hatred, jealousy, and evil habits make us spiritually blind and prevent us
from seeing the goodness and God’s presence in our brothers and sisters.  A
clear spiritual vision helps us to see the goodness in others and to
express our appreciation to others for all that they do for us.
Like the blind man, we should approach Jesus with open hearts, with strong
faith, and ask for healing.  We should accept our own brokenness,
humanness, failures, and limitations.  Like Jesus, we too are called to
heal others by our loving touch and compassionate presence and at the same
time ask for our own healing.  To do both, we need humbleness and deep
faith in God.
Let us ask ourselves:  Do we have strong faith in Jesus?  Are we ready to
ask for our own healing?  How can our simple presence and loving touch heal
others?  Are we ready to walk with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem with a
clear vision and with true freedom, as the blind man did after he received
his sight?  What are the cloaks that we need to throw away?

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