30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Mark10:46-52

Seeing with Eyes of Faith

Praying at Stone of Anointing, Church of Holy Sepulchre

One evening, the whole family went out to dinner at a local restaurant.  Everyone got a menu, even the youngest, Aimee, who was 6 years old.  Since the conversation was an ‘adult’ one, Aimee sat there feeling ignored.  When the waitress took their orders, she came to Aimee last.

“And, what would you like to eat, young lady?” she asked.  Aimee answered, “I will have a hamburger, French fries and a large coke”.

“No”, said her mother.  “She will have a small salad with low fat dressing, baked chicken, carrots and boiled rice”.  “And milk to drink”, chimed in her father.  The waitress looked at Aimee and asked, “Would you like catsup or mustard on your hamburger”?  She said, “Catsup with some fried onions on top please.  Oh, and put a very small piece of lettuce on top to please my parents.  Thank you very much”.  Her parents sat there stunned!

As the waitress walked away to place the order, Aimee turned toward her family and said, “You know what?  She thinks I’m real”.

You have to feel for little Aimee; she must have felt completely invisible.  The world kept revolving and yet it was like she wasn’t even there!  Of course, for her, that was just one meal! 

For the blind man in today’s Gospel, that is what he had to deal with his entire life.  Ever since he was born blind, he was shunned, ignored, treated as an outcast and a sinner all his life.  Cut off from any social contact, he must have felt completely alone, completely invisible!  Until Jesus came into his life! How often must the Pharisees have walked past Bartimaeus day in and day out and treated him like he was invisible, ignored his pleas for a few coins or a crust of bread?  How often were they so focused on themselves that they blinded themselves to the suffering of the marginalized and the powerless right in front of their eyes.

How often can we say that about ourselves?  How often do we see what we want to see and not what we need to see?  We are all, in some ways, blind like the Pharisees; we miss the big picture!  

We stare straight ahead at a stoplight or when we are walking down the street, all to avoid eye contact with someone looking for a handout.  We turn a blind eye to a neighbor struggling to shovel snow off his sidewalk or to someone weighed down with grocery bags, or to someone sitting at a park bench quietly crying in sadness and despair.

But today’s isn’t just about blindness; it’s about faith!

6 ½ years ago I was ordained a Permanent Deacon.  Part of the Rite of Ordination included Investiture where I put on the stole and dalmatic of a deacon for the first time.  I was assisted in this vesting ceremony by my wife Ginger and my pastor and friend Father Neil. Needless to say it was an emotional and profound moment where symbolically I left behind my life as a lay person and put on my ‘new clothes’, my new ministry as a member of the clergy.

Something similar is happening in today’s Gospel.  Bartimaeus, a blind man, is sitting along the road outside Jericho begging for a few coins.  He hears that Jesus is coming and he cannot contain his excitement.  People try to quiet him down but to no avail.  He keeps shouting for Jesus.  “Have pity on me.”  When Jesus calls to him, Bartimaeus immediately gets up, throws off his cloak and rushes to Jesus.  And Jesus cures him of his blindness.

Bartimaeus, in his fervor, throws off his cloak! He sets aside his old life of begging and blindness and he puts on the clothes of faith!  And his life is forever changed!  Isn’t that also what happens with each of us at Baptism.  Original Sin is washed away.  Our former life of sin is set aside and we are given a new white garment to symbolize our new life as a child of God.  Take notice here:  Bartimaeus throws off his clock, his old way of live, BEFORE Jesus cures him.  Now that is faith!  And after he is cured, he then follows Jesus!

In the end, it is all the bystanders who are really blind, blind to Jesus and His message, blind to faith.  And it is Bartimaeus who truly sees!  He sees with the eyes of faith!

Like the Pharisees, we can get so caught up in arguments and issues that we think are so important and we miss all opportunities for us to do good as well as appreciate the beauty that the Creator has bestowed on us – like a rainbow, the gift of family time, the gentle smile of a child, the touch of a loving hand, building a snowman with the grandkids or sharing a simple cup of coffee with a dear friend.

Open your eyes today.  See the wonders of the Creator that are all around you and show your gratitude by being a miracle to others!  That is our challenge –to recognize the presence of the Creator in our lives, to see, not merely with human eyes, but with eyes of faith and trust, to be filled with the Spirit and follow in His footsteps!