Brothers and Sisters,
The gospel reading this week (Mk 10:46-52) describes the healing by Jesus of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. So, what does the story of blind Bartimaeus teach us? While we aren’t told the reasons for Bartimaeus’s blindness, how long he endured in this condition, or even where he is from, there is an important lesson his story can teach us.
His story is made up of just a few short verses, but it contains a very powerful message. The message of the story of blind Bartimaeus is about how desperately we need Jesus. And how we shouldn’t let anything hold us back from getting to Him. Not the opinions or voices of others. Nor our reputations or our limitations. Not even our doubts and fears or our pain and suffering. Nothing should get in our way. We should do whatever we can to get to Jesus. Because it is only in His arms that we can find true and everlasting healing.
When Bartimaeus is called by Jesus, it’s interesting how he responds. He throws off his cloak. That cloak represents all of his security and protection against rain, cold, or whatever. It’s pretty much everything he has. He abandons himself totally to Jesus in order to run to him. That is what faith is: abandonment to God. Faith is leaving behind all the things that we want to keep ourselves self-sufficient, leaving behind all the things we want to control but can’t.
So, as we come near to the Lord today, we recognize that we are beggars totally dependent on the mercy of God to make us whole. May we rise then, leaving our powerlessness behind, and run to Him. Giving ourselves totally to His loving care.
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
