Today's readings are fitting for this occasion. From Mark's gospel, we hear the story of a blind beggar - Bartimaeus - one of the true characters of the gospels. Though blind, it turned out that he could see further than a few of Jesus' disciples. Not unlike us, Bartimaeus first heard about Jesus from what others had to say about him. Who first told you about the Lord?
Bartimaeus wasted no time. He understood his situation. He knew that Jesus was his only hope. Somehow he had to get to the Lord. He raised a ruckus, yelling, "Have pity on me!" The reaction of the people around him was interesting. Some tried to quiet him down, but he would not be silenced. He cried out louder until he got Jesus' attention.
Jesus called, and Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, jumped up, and with the assistance of some others, he went to the Lord. Were there people who brought you closer to Christ? Have you ever brought someone else to the Lord?
Jesus asked him straight away, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Master, I want to see," he replied. How would you answer if Jesus asked you that question today? Remember last week's gospel when the James and John asked for the places of honor in the Jesus' reign? If we are honest we might ask, Lord, we want to see like Bartimaeus. Help us to see our way to you. Help us to recognize you in ourselves and in the people around us. Help us hear your call and to respond with generous hearts.
The prophet Jeremiah rejoiced that the Lord delivered his people. Through all kinds of hardships and dangers, he gathered them to himself - the blind and lame, mothers with children, those who went away sad came back rejoicing. From the ends of the earth, he gathered his people to himself. Why does God go to such extremes to save us? The answer is in today's letter to the Hebrews ... because we have a great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. In each generation, Christ reaches out to all men and women. He calls us, heals us, and invites us to follow him. First through Baptism and then through the other sacraments, we become conformed to Christ. The Father sees and loves in us what he sees and loves in his Son.
Disciples follow, they observe, they learn. When we put our lives where our beliefs are, we move beyond mere discipleship to stewardship. Stewards take responsibility for the gospel they have received by living it, supporting it, and even suffering for it. We become evangelizers when we find ourselves sharing the gospel with others.
Fr. Eddy