We don’t know if Bartimaeus was born blind or suffered an illness or accident that resulted in his blindness. The details are not included in Mark’s Gospel reading for today. We do know that upon hearing Jesus, Bartimaeus cried out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Others in the crowd tried to silence his pleas, but he continued crying until Jesus stopped and called him to come closer. Did Bartimaeus know that Jesus was nearing because others had informed him or because he sensed Jesus’ presence, though blind, even before Jesus called out to him? When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted, he answered, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus responded by restoring sight to a once blinded man who then sees, cured because of his faith.
How similar are we and our faith journey to that of Bartimaeus’? Though unsure about his medical history, we know that through our baptism, we are cleansed of all imperfections and empowered to become members of the Catholic Church and followers of Jesus.
As we journey through life, though, we may become spiritually blind to the will of God and need to cry out for our Savior to have pity and heal us. Christ’s amazing grace saved Bartimaeus, and the same amazing grace saves us! May we take comfort and find joy in knowing that although we may become lost and blind, we can be found to see and feel the goodness of our God.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, you once healed Bartimaeus of his blindness, and he responded by getting up and following you. May we, too, have the faith to trust in your mercy, stand up when others try to silence us and proclaim your saving powers for all to hear. Amen.