Reflection for the Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

JMJV

Divine Dialogue of God with the Soul

As we open the Gospel Book for today to Mark 10:46-52, we are introduced to a man who is blind, begging at the side of the road. When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he calls out to Him, Jesus Son of David, have pity on me. That was a title signifying the Messiah, and that cry must have filled the Heart of Jesus with great compassion, coming as it does from someone who has no physical vision, but who seems to know exactly Who Jesus is.

Jesus calls Bartimeus, the blind man, to come closer to Him. So he comes, though not before throwing off his cloak, as though he wants Jesus to see him as he is—more than a man whose eyes are blind, but also a man who aches to be known by Jesus from the inside out. When Jesus asks him, What do you want Me to do for you, he answers, Master, I want to see. From the depths of his heart he speaks, and Jesus hears his cry. He heals his eyes, and at the same time helps him to see that the only true way for him to see aright is by following Him completely. And so, Mark, writes, he followed Him on the way.

I see myself in this story. Perhaps you see yourself, too. There is a blindness within me at times, when I lose my way. I think I’m seeking what it is that God wants, when actually I should be trying to discover what it is that I really need.  So today I place myself before Him and hear Him ask me as He once asked Bartimeus, What do you want me to do for you?

What, in fact, do I want? What wakes me up in the night? What keeps me from knowing the peace that God wants to give me? Why do I feel empty in the midst of a joyous celebration, or unfinished when I have just finished my last project? Is there something I’m lacking that only God can give me? Like the rich young man we met in last week’s Gospel, what more should I do—or rather, what more do I want to do? What is it I want more than life itself—is it deeper faith, a clearer vision of God’s law, a way to give myself more completely to Him, or to see the radiance of His holy Face?

Only when I am willing to throw off all my pretenses, to stand before Him without camouflage, to allow Him to see to the inner sanctuary of my soul, only then will I be able to answer His question, What do you want Me to do for you? And only then will He do it. With all His Heart.   

God bless you this week.