30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 25th October 2015)
‘Master, let me see again’ – Mark 10:46-52
The story of a person who persisted in calling out to the Lord and being rewarded in having his sight regained is one of great hope for us all.
Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was passing by and immediately he called out. However, he was told to “shut up” by the other onlookers and passers by. But Bartimaeus somehow knew the greatness of the person who was passing, and so he persisted in calling out to the Messiah. Finally, Bartimaeus’ persistence was rewarded in his sight being restored. This persistence brings us great hope.
Maybe we are blind in a way that is not physical. Most of us can see the world around and yet we can be blind to the pain and suffering we either cause or ignore. So often in life we make throw away comments about how others look, what they say, we judge people’s dignity and worth by how much money they have in their bank account or by other exterior and insignificant details. Do we see the pain that our words and actions cause to their lives? There are times in all of our lives, when people have hurt us without ever noticing it and we, too, have done it to others.
Bartimaeus today makes a massive leap of faith by saying “Jesus, Son of David.” To give Jesus this title is to claim that he is the chosen one of God. What he says next is “have pity on me.” We say this ourselves every time we go to Mass, except we use a slightly different translation. What we say is “Lord, have mercy”. Just as Jesus heard the cry of the blind man, He also hears our cry for help.
Jesus called for the man and immediately Bartimaeus threw off his garment. This is like what happens to us at baptism. Our worldly clothes are removed and we are dressed in white. After water and the Holy Spirit has been poured upon us in baptism, we are clothed in a white garment, or the garment of salvation. This is the symbol of our Christian joy and dignity, the white of freedom from sin and holiness.
The most important request this blind man could ask for is his sight, because his blindness is that which holds him back from moving forward in life. Jesus grants his request because of his faith. Bartimaeus’ persistence in believing in the Son of God has saved him. Having cast off the garment of his old life, and been given the ability to see, Bartimaeus follows Jesus.
This story of Bartimaeus is also a story of our own hope in the Christian life today. There are times, for whatever reason, when we clothe ourselves in our own self-interest. These self-interests can blind us from seeing the pain and suffering of others in our life and in our world. Just like Bartimaeus, have courage to call out to the Lord to have pity on you. Maybe you need the help of confession to cast off the garment of sin and restore your baptismal garment of holiness and hope. Like Bartimaeus, with the help of the risen Lord, we can regain our sight and then we can truly follow Jesus, loving God and our neighbour.
“Master, let me see again”.
Fr. Robert McGivney