Reflection:   
This being the Year of Faith, it is appropriate to talk about Jesus’s healing of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting by the roadside, who, upon hearing the voices of the crowd, sensed that Jesus was passing by.  He must have already known about Christ’s miraculous powers, and so he seized the moment to cry out to Jesus for mercy.

Though rebuked by the crowd to be silent, Bartimaeus persisted in calling for Jesus’ attention, crying out even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me,” literally begging Jesus to look into his circumstance.  It must have been faith that prompted him to seek Jesus, as he sat by the side of the road.  His blindness did not keep him from knowing what was transpiring around him, but rather made him even more aware of what was happening.  It is this sensitivity that led him to seek, to know, and eventually to follow Jesus.

On the other hand, Jesus reveals his presence to Bartimaeus through the latter’s sense of hearing, for indeed, He knows how to reach out individually to each of us who seek Him.  The healing of Bartimaeus is a metaphor for many of us who were once spiritually blind, but received our sight when we were baptized in the Holy Spirit, so we could see the goodness of the Lord and the beauty of His creation.  Our LSS experience was the beginning of our journey of following Jesus, as it opened our eyes and hearts to understand the purpose of our being.  It cleared our vision to see the truth of God’s immeasurable and immense love for us and the awesome reality of our identity as children of God.  It made the difference in the way we saw ourselves and the path we are called to travel.  For some, the road is perhaps clearer, for others, perhaps a little more obscure.  But surely, Bartimaeus’ sight was restored by Jesus because he was not ashamed of his need, and had the humility to plead for Jesus’ help.

In the Gospel, some of Jesus’ disciples initially sought to silence Bartimaeus.  Isn’t that equally true of some of us, who are too blind to see the pitiful circumstance of our brethren who are crying out for help?  Isn’t it true of some members of our church, society and/or government who want to silence the cries of the poor, the unborn – aborted fetuses, the lame of society, the underprivileged?  Aren’t pocket-centric politicians and individual egos the stumbling blocks or obstacles to our nation’s progress, like the voices in the crowd who rebuked Bartimaeus to shut up?  But Jesus responded to Bartimaeus persistence, by stopping and asking His disciples to bring Bartimaeus to Him.  Only then did the disciples and the crowd encouraged Bartimaeus to get up and face Jesus.

It is clear from this narrative, that Jesus calls each one of us to Him, to be emissaries of His love, and ministers of His healing grace and restoration to the less fortunate.  He wants us to stop, to pause, and to wait on those lagging behind, the disadvantaged and disabled who deserve likewise, to experience the mercy of God.  For He calls all people to Him, that all may hear the Good News and be healed of any form of blindness, and be restored to lighted path of God’s righteousness.

Our Word for the month and Theme for this week is an invitation from Christ for each one of us to take courage and give witness to our faith.  It is in doing this that we submit to God’s kingdom and authority.

Prayer:
Lord, my one desire is to be with You, now and forever.  But I cannot do it alone because I recognize areas in myself that remain blind and even deaf to the cries of the poor around me.  I fail at times to stop and see other’s needs as I get too engrossed in my daily work and family’s needs, or get caught up in worldly pursuits, forgetting that by responding to the needs of  others, I am responding to the call the One who is worthy of all my love and attention.  And that is you, my Lord.  Forgive my failures, and by Your grace, help me to be like Bartimaeus, so that, filled with faith and trust in You, nothing may stand in the way of my following You, and that I maybe an encourager and minister of Your love, rather an obstacle to keep others from following you.  This I pray, in Jesus name.  Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1.    Who am I in the Gospel narrative?  How can I overcome these tendencies to disregard what God wants me to do?
2.    Share an experience of healing, either as a recipient of God’s mercy, or as a minister of God’s healing love.  How did it make          you feel?
3.    Where and how can you express gratitude to God in community?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
October 28, 2012 (Sun)    Jer 31:7-9/ Ps 126:1-6/ Heb 5:1-6/ Mk 10:46-52
October 29, 2012 (Mon)    Eph 4:32-5:8/ Ps 1:1-4,6/ Lk 13:10-17
October 30, 2012 (Tues)    Eph 5:21-33/ Ps 128:1-5/ Lk 13:18-21
October 31, 2012 (Wed)    Eph 6:1-9/ Ps 145:10-14/ Lk 13:22-30
November 1, 2012 (Thur)   Rv 7:2-4,9-14/ Ps 24:1-6/ 1Jn 3:1-3/ Mt 5:1-12
November 2, 2012 (Fri)      2Macc 12:43-46/ Ps 103/ Rom 8:31-35,37-39/ Jn 14:1-6
or Wis 3:1-61/ Ps 115/ Rom 6:3-4,8-9/ Mt 25:31-46 or Mt 5:1-12
November 3, 2012 (Sat)    Phil 1:18-26/ Ps 42:2,3,5/ Lk 14:1,7-11

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”