30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

Collect

Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lectio Divina

In this Sunday’s Gospel we literary have the blind faith of a man in Jesus Christ. A blind faith like the trust of a small child while holding his mother’s hand, certain that she will take care of him. Although the account of this healing is found in the three synoptic Gospels, with many similarities, the name of the blind man—Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus—is mentioned only in Mark’s Gospel. The fact that he is mentioned by name demonstrates that he was well-known. 

The blind man steals the scene by exclaiming: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Bartimaeus was shouting and asking Jesus’ help, he did not receive an immediate reply. Even worse, many people were telling him to be quiet. It would have been easy for him to give up and stop calling after Jesus. But Bartimaeus was convinced that only Jesus could save him. So, he ignored the crowd’s opposition and did not care what they might say about him. If we desire Christ’s healing, we must search for Christ even when we find opposition or when we don’t receive an immediate reply. It is necessary for us to shout louder, pray more, persevere in hope of the Lord’s help.

Although the blind man could not see Jesus, Jesus did all he could to see him. At Jesus’ invitation, Bartimaeus is filled with an extraordinary ardour: throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Sight was not required to meet with Jesus, only attentiveness of heart was needed. Although he was blind and had never seen Jesus with bodily eyes as he was seen by many others, Bartimaeus kept the eyes of his heart fixed on Jesus. He was physically blind but not spiritually, so much so that he saw Jesus more clearly than many others had seen him, including the Jewish leaders.

We should also keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. We must see him as he really is, that is, more than simply a historic figure. We must see him as God (sovereign) who became man (Son of David, King). Only Jesus can save us. We must look upon Jesus for faith as Bartimaeus did. 

Bartimaeus gives us the courage we need to ask for help when we are in need. He teaches us the importance of unwavering perseverance when we present our prayers despite the difficulties that we encounter in our journey. Let us imitate Bartimaeus, who did not return home after he was healed, but continued to follow and glorify Jesus.

Prayer

When hard-pressed by circumstances in life that appear to be desperate; when an urgent decision needs to be made immediately and decisively, there is only one prayer; a simple plea that comes straight from the heart: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” When faced with all that blinds our hearts—the lack of gratitude, pride, an inordinate attachment to objects or people, intolerance with those who want to unburden themselves with me—with Bartimaeus we ask you: teacher, let me see again.