Gospel Mk 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
Homily
Recently persons were asked what they would do if they won the jackpot in the local lottery which was calculated to be fourteen million or thereabouts. Some persons said that the first thing that they would do would be to give some of their winnings to the poor; others had other priorities in which the poor did not figure. In fact there are many stories throughout the world in which persons who have won lotteries have spent all their winning on frivolities and have found themselves penniless after a short period of time.
Those stories came to mind as I read the Gospel given to us for our meditation this weekend because one of the themes of this Gospel passage is precisely on the choices which we make in life after hitting the jackpot.
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The Gospel story we know very well. It is the story of the blind man Bartimaeus who is sitting on the wayside begging. He hears that Jesus is passing by and cries out to him, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”. Persons in Jesus’ entourage try to shut up Bartimaeus but he won’t be silenced. He cries out all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus hears the desperate plea of Bartimaeus and calls Bartimaeus to come to him. “Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”” Full of mercy as always, without making any demands of Bartimaeus, Jesus simply says to him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed him on the way.”
What is extremely important for us is that without making any demands or claims on him, Jesus sends Bartimaeus away. “Go on your way” he tells him. Bartimaeus is given the freedom to become or not become a disciple of Jesus. Bartimaeus has to make a choice. He can go his own way or he can follow Jesus. Bartimaeus has hit the jackpot however; he can see. He freely chooses to follow Jesus although Jesus has made no claim on him. “Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.”
All of us have received tremendous favours from Jesus. Maybe they have not been as spectacular as the healing of the blind man, Bartimaeus. We have asked God for many things, sometimes with the same desperation with which Bartimaeus asked Jesus for healing. Sometimes it was a question of passing examinations; sometimes it may have been financial or health problems, sometimes it had to do with the education of children, sometimes it was saving us from the consequences of our own stupidity, but whatever these problems may have been, often enough we have received relief in our desperation or our anxiety. At times we have tried to bargain with God; “If I get this I will do the following”. How often we have forgotten the bargain as soon as we have found relief. In other words we often enough choose to go our own way, and not follow Jesus. Jesus as we know never forces us to follow him. Through his love and merciful actions with us Jesus proposes the way which he travels. He never forces us. We can choose to go our own way or we can follow Jesus on his way. Remember all those interventions in our life on the part of the Lord are subtle invitations to discipleship. We can accept them or not. Accepting them however is the way of the saints. As we thank God for Saints like Ignatius of Loyola who saw in their trials the invitation to follow and accepted, may we too see in our trials the invitation to discipleship and accept it.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, when Bartimaeus was healed by your Son Jesus, he saw in this healing an invitation to discipleship and followed Jesus on the way. Help us to recognize when good things happen to us that we too are being invited and may we have the strength to follow. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and the same Jesus, your Son. Amen
