Sunday of the blind man (Marcos 10:46-52) Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Meditation: On the sixth Sunday of the great Lent time, we have a halt with Jesus walking on the way heading the crowds and with a blind man sitting by the roadside who stopped Jesus who gave him salvation through giving him back his sight. This blind man followed Him, recovered, on the way and became His disciple. All of this is a lesson for us and for all those who surround us, on the awareness that Man might have so he can follow Jesus on the way. There is no doubt that Lent helps us in all this.
1-On that way and on its roadside On that way, Jesus walked in order to grant salvation for each person through a procession that He crowned by His death and His resurrection. This procession takes place again in Church and in every believer’s life who starts a procession with Jesus within Church, a procession which allows him to live the effects of salvation. In this context, each believer asks God, as Thomas did: “How can we know the way?” Then he listens to the answer and got convinced, “I am the way, the truth and life”. The believer goes on with this procession and finds out the face of the Lord and realizes that “there is no salvation but through Him for it has been never given underneath the sky, among people, another name through which we must be saved”, according to St Peter in the Acts of the Apostles.
2- Lent, awareness, standing up and having recourse to Jesus In the midst of our confusion and our physical blindness, Jesus remains on the way ready to save whomever. This is what incites Man on the roadside to be encouraged. We should go back to ourselves and know that Lent is one of the efficient means which help believer to preserve himself or to recover it later. Then, he practices this virtue directing himself towards Jesus present on the salvation’s way. The “physical blind” feels his misery and realizes that the salvation takes place only through Jesus and then he cries out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He knows very well that the request of mercy is never rejected by God but He grants him His graces, encourages him and asks him to join Him on the way which means to prove to himself first that nothing can tie up Man permanently for God who invites Man, helps him to defeat every obstacle. But Man must have the courage and stands up no matter what it takes. Everyone can join the way, put off his cloak, run towards Jesus and get salvation and follow Him on the way.
Conclusion: Let us pray God so He can grant us the grace of seeing Him on the way, the way of salvation. Then we will be able, in case we were on the roadside, to overcome every obstacle and run towards Jesus and continue with Him the procession till the end. |