Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Xene Sanchez SVD – Kinshasa, Congo
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B
I used to visit and give communion to a young lady named Lucy. Her name means “Light” yet she was blind. She was diabetic. Every time I saw her, my feelings of pity were rather overwhelmed by my great admiration of her faith. I would be contaminated by her joy as she received Christ. She was calm, confident; her witness was edifying. Certainly she saw many things better than we did. I can imagine her seeing us now with her sight restored in heaven.
God sees and cares for those who are on the sideline, the marginalized. The prophet Jeremiah today, often melancholic, surprises us with encouraging words of joy. The exile will be over; people can go back home. On the way, God will see to it that the blind, the lame, the pregnant mothers and those with child are taken care of. If others forget them, God won’t. He will walk with them!
The Gospel portrays Bartimaeus a blind man, begging, sitting unnoticeably on the sidewalk. When he hears that Jesus is passing by he shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” He is told to be quiet. Instead, he shouts louder. Jesus, despite so many people around him stops. He wants to see him. People cheer the blind: “Take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you.” Jesus asks him: “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind replies: “Master, I want to see”. He recovers his sight then he follows him on the way.
The question of the story is: Who are the real blind? The disciples were blind because they did not yet see the meaning of what Jesus said about his suffering, death and resurrection. When Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem they all ran away. The crowd was blind because it took part in his condemnation.
On the contrary, Bartimaeus who is physically blind “threw aside his cloak” meaning living a new life. He saw Jesus as his Savior and he saw the “Way.”
There are different kinds of blindness. We might fail to see people on the roadside, the blind, the lame, the street children, the beggars and the poor. We are asked especially today to pay attention to prisoners. Worst thing could happen if we become blind to those who are very near us: husband, wife, children, friend, workers, subordinates, etc. Perhaps we no longer see the good things that they are doing. Perhaps we fail to see their feelings, their inner problems, worries, etc.
If we tend to see only the dark side of life, if we no longer see its meaning, if we fail to see the wonderful things around us, then we are getting blind!
Let’s run to Jesus, leave our past and see again.
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