Ready to See

~~~ Sirach 42:15-25 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Mark 10:46-52 ~~~

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.

Jesus restores the physical sight to Bartimaeus.
He had physical blindness but he had open ears and heart.
He was able to 'see' through what he could hear...
Jesus was in his near vicinity.

The heart of Bartimaeus was filled with hope
 the day Jesus was leaving Jericho. 

He could have given up his dreams of being healed,
but instead he kept calling out to Jesus.
He begins by asking Jesus to have pity on him.
I think we can agree that is a terrible thing to be blind.
There is so much beauty in this world to see.

We can only imagine the joy and excitement
when Jesus calls for him to come forward.

In fact Bartimaeus was so excited;
 he leaves his cloak and few belongings.
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

To leave behind his cloak meant that he was willing
 to leave his life of darkness...
he was ready to enter into
the world of light.

Faith
...plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart...

Where there is deep faith there can be no blindness.
Faith brings us to Jesus when we are surrounded by darkness.
Bartimaeus could not see the sunshine
yet it was his faith that allowed Jesus
to release him from his world of darkness.

Just like Bartimaeus, we are urged to listen to our heart.
It is our heart that will lead us into the bright
presence of the Lord.

How beautiful are all his works!
even to the spark and fleeting vision!
The universe lives and abides forever;
to meet each need, each creature is preserved.

The Light of the World
blesses us with his sight, piercing all darkness.

Pray for an increase in faith...
you never know when it will be needed
to carry you through the darkness.

~~~ Peace ~~~