March 3, 2011
Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
How beautiful are all his works! even to the spark and the fleeting vision! The universe lives and abides forever; to meet each need, each creature is preserved. All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor? Sirach 4:23-25
They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Mark 10:46-48
Piety
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.
Study
God knows what we want before we want it. He could fulfill our every prayer before we even offer our adoration, contrition, thanks and supplication. Nothing is beyond his infinite wisdom. Certainly the yearning Bartimaeus had for sight was known to the Lord. Yet, there sat the blind man, begging and praying for Jesus to intervene in his miserable resistance.
Can one ever see enough of the splendor of God’s great work? Even a blind man like Bartimaeus could see this more clearly than those who would try to silence his prayers. Bartimaeus needed to make his prayers known.
Those around him knew Bartimaeus was blind so they tried to shut him up. However, Bartimaeus needed to make his prayers known.
Those prayers were not needed for the Lord to know Bartimaeus’ desire for a cure to his physical blindness. [The Lord] plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he lack; no single thing escapes him. (Sirach 4:18-20) However, Bartimaeus needed to make his prayers known.
Bartimaeus blind was a creation of the Lord just as much as Bartimaeus cured was a creation of the Lord. Without his blindness, the Lord would not have been able to drive home the lesson of the importance of faith and prayer to his disciples and to us. Without his cure, Jesus would not have been able to drive home the lesson of how his power and glory are brought to life in our needs, our life and our faith.
Even the cries of the crowd to silence the prayers of Bartimaeus were a creation of the Lord. Nothing was created in vain. Because in their lack of wisdom, there, too, is a lesson for us in how we should not be silent.
When the Lord turned to Bartimaeus and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus was ready. We know that the Lord in his perfect wisdom did not need to ask this question any more than he needed to predict Peter would deny and betray him. Yet Jesus did this to show us not only what he could do, but also that – despite his eternal knowledge power and glory – all we need to do it to turn to him with our petitions. In order to receive, we have only to ask.
Action
Do we – who have so much more than Bartimaeus – have his character, insight and vision?
Are we as insightful as the blind Bartimaeus?
Are we as humble as the blind Bartimaeus?
Are we as persistent as the blind Bartimaeus?
Are we as faith-filled as the blind Bartimaeus?
Are we as ready as the blind Bartimaeus?
Are we as grateful and grace-filled as the cured Bartimaeus?
Despite his blindness, Bartimaeus could see God's power, beauty and goodness as exalted in the reading from the Book of Sirach. Despite his blindness, Bartimaeus had faith that the Lord could deliver to him the gift of sight. Despite the cries of the crowd to be silent, Bartimaeus called out his prayers in the public square.
For what are you humbled?
For what do you need?
For what do you ask?
