Bartimeus

Today we come across Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind man, outside the city of Jericho. They say that Jericho is the oldest city in the world still functioning. Timaeus must have been a well known person. His son was begging for money at the road side. We are like Bartimaeus, blinded to the spiritual things, sitting on the road side of life, waiting for Jesus to pass by, begging for help. He heard a multitude coming out of the city and asked what was happening. Blind people rely completely on their hearing. We too also need to hear Jesus passing by, distinguishing his footsteps among the cacophony of sound that is surrounding us. When they told him that it was Jesus the prophet, he began to cry out at the top of his voice: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

It is similar to the famous Jesus’ prayer, used mainly in Eastern Christianity, which through a constant repetition, becomes like breathing, a ceaseless prayer. It contains in a nutshell all that we need to ask: Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. During Mass we use a similar expression: Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. Bartimeaus was shouting aloud, so much so that many rebuked him, telling him to be quiet. They couldn’t hear what Jesus was saying. But he cried out all the more, knowing that this was the opportunity of his life. We too need to repeat this prayer with persistance, against the secular environment which is surrounding us, and the people trying to shut us down. Our perseverance is a sign that Jesus is hearing us.

Eventually the Lord called Bartimaeus. He jumped up full of hope, leaving his cloak behind, the piece of cloth that kept him warm him up during the winter nights. We should be ready to jump too, when we hear our name: “Take courage, Jesus is calling you.” But also we should let go of our cloak, our attachments, getting out of our comfort zone, leaving our sinful life behind us. It sounds a bit like a gamble, but we need to trust Jesus, burning our boats, leaving our old self behind.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus a strange question: What do you want me to do for you? Jesus knew that he was blind and he wanted to recover his sight. God knows what we need, but he wants us to ask for it. It happens the same with parents; they know what their children need but they want them to say it. Do we really know what we need? Most of the time we ask for things we don’t need. We long for promising careers, more wealth, better health, to become famous, to be honoured. Deep down we all want to be happy. God always knows what we need. We should let him decide: Lord, give me what I need!

Bartimaeus, opening wide his eyes, looking at the horizon, asked what all of us should ask: Lord, let me see. Domine ut videam. This is a cry Saint Josemaria said for many years, when he sensed that God was asking him for something he didn’t know. It made him very docile to God’s will. We also want to see with the eyes of the faith. We want to discover the world of spiritual riches hidden to our earthly eyes. The first thing Bartimaeus saw, when he recovered his sight, was Jesus’ face: the amazing countenance of the Son of Man, the most perfect image of God. The Gospel says that he followed him on the way. Once you discover the face of Jesus, you don’t want to leave him. Lord, let us see your face!

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