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 a blanket on the ground as he begs during the day, and the 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, we still 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. Sometimes, It is easy for us to find Jesus in the Tabernacle or in the Church, but it is 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 that 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 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 see the goodness in others and express our appreciation to them for all that they do for us.
Like the blind man, we should approach Jesus with open hearts and strong faith and ask for healing. We should accept our own brokenness, humanness, failures, and limitations. Like Jesus, we are called to heal others by our loving touch and compassionate presence and ask for our own healing. To do both, we need humility 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 (garments) that we need to throw away?
Let us reflect on the words of Saint Mother Teresa- “The greatest tragedy is not that we cannot see, but that we refuse to open our eyes.” “The first step to overcoming spiritual blindness is to acknowledge its existence.” “Blindness is not a curse, but a challenge that can be overcome with the right mindset.” “The blind cannot see the path before them, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find their way.”