Who doesn’t love a parade? Marching bands, floats, men and women in costume, and crowds waving flags. It was parade day in Jericho when Jesus came to town. Word was passed south from Galilee to the oasis resort of Jericho just north of the Dead Sea. A man calls out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-52)
Jesus stopped the parade and asked that someone bring the man to him. Helped to his feet, Bartimaeus was brought to Jesus who asked him, “what do you want me to do for you?” “My teacher, let me see again.” Go with me as we imagine that the Jericho parade that day might be a metaphor for our life.
The blind man in the story is a permanent resident along the parade route of our life. His blindness is not incidental to our reflection. We have a whole vocabulary for this phenomenon: blindsided, ignorance, and asking “Who could have known?” These are a few reminders of how blind we can be to the most important need in our life, which is… to see.
All of us are immersed into the parade of our lives. But along the way, off to the side, perhaps sitting in dust of our own making, is Bartimaeus. Let Jesus stop your parade today, let the blind man stand to his feet in your soul and receive the gift of sight only Jesus can give.
- Deacon Robert
“If when we are ill, our recovery will contribute to the
glory of God and the good of our soul, He who healed so
many when He was on earth, will certainly heal us. If, on
the contrary, the illness is more advantageous to us, He
will instead give us the strength to suffer.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars
