October 24, 2021; 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: Jer. 31:7-19; Heb. 45:1-6; Mk. 10:46-52

Strike While the Iron is Hot

1.       The gospel reading of today presents us with a story of a blind beggar. Bartimaeus was his name. As he sat by the roadside begging, he couldn't see what was going on but could feel the pulse around him; he could sense the changes in people's behavior as they passed by. He was blind but not hopeless; blind but not deaf. He may have been in need and somewhat handicapped, but not helpless. Bartimaeus may have heard about Jesus from the people as they passed by; He was a good man who cared for the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the forgotten. I am sure Bartimaeus believed that his turn would come one day to meet that Jesus, and so he was anxiously waiting for the movements that would signal the presence of Jesus. He knew what he wanted. No one would stop him from asking Jesus to have his sight back. He waited! And God answered his prayers. He knew from the crowd and the commotion that Christ was around. He must strike while the iron was hot. He cried out, Jesus, Son of David, pity me.

2.       This story has many nuances. First, Bartimaeus was not an ordinary beggar. He was a beggar with a purpose. He did not want to be defined by his blindness. He had expectations, faith, and hope. He knew that once he got in touch with Christ, he would change his life for the better, but he had to be patient and wait for the right time. Bartimaeus knew that when Jesus heard his voice in distress, he would never turn his back on him. The blind man made the words of the Psalm his own: "In my misfortune I called, the Lord heard and saved me from all distress. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed." (Psalm 34:7, 19).

3.       His cry for help was his prayer through which he directed his concerns to God and God alone. Though the crowd tried to stop him, telling him to be silent, he kept calling out the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." According to Fr. John Pichappily, "Everybody has some type of obstacle, some type of disadvantage, some type of hindrance that stands in their way (physical and spiritual). God does not always remove the handicap, whether spiritual or physical; He does, however, give us the ability to overcome them. He gives us the ability to rise above our handicaps!" But we must learn to overcome the negative influences in our lives, especially those that discourage us from our goals. Public opinions will always try to put us down, but we must be courageous enough to stand up to them. We do this by tapping into our inner strength and convictions, believing that we are stronger and more resilient than whatever anyone thinks about us. When the crowd rebuked Bartimaeus, they had defined him by his blindness. They felt that he was good for nothing, that no good could ever come from him. They put him down and counted him out as not being worthy of Jesus's time. They shouted him down. But they were the ones who were truly blind. They were blind to his potentials, capability, faith, strength, and trust in God. God would never count him out. The Lord came to his rescue and put a new song into his mouth; He changed his mourning into rejoicing. When the Lord stopped and said, "Call him." They said to him, "Take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you." Jesus will always turn those against us to begin to praise our names. Yes, "If God is for us, who can be against us." (Rom. 8:31). 

4.       For Bartimaeus, that was his time. He jumped and went to Jesus. He wanted to see again, and the Lord gave him his sight. Instead of going back to beg, he followed Jesus. Today's Psalm captured the feeling of Bartimaeus. "When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing." The marvelous work of the Lord in reversing the misfortune of his people is proclaimed in the first reading. "I will gather them from the ends of the world with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them…." The first reading finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus is the "High Priest who is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people." (Heb. 5:1-6). The opening of the eyes of the blind is the fulfillment of the mission of Christ who said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Lk. 4:18-19).

5.       The story of Bartimaeus teaches us that we should put our trust in the Lord, knowing that he will never forget us. It encourages us to wait patiently for the Lord's visitation and to strike the iron while it is hot. Do not miss the opportunity given to you no matter what. The blind man did not allow the crowd to intimidate him and stop him from calling on the Lord for help. If you need assistance from the Lord, pray and do not give up. Let us learn from Bartimaeus to be sure what we want from the Lord. Asking for too many things can be confusing. The Blind man wanted one thing only; he wanted to see, and he got his sight back. He knew what to do with his sight, to follow the Lord and be a blessing to others. What do you do when your request is granted? We must not behave like the crowd. When we see someone in need, we must do whatever we can to help and not put anyone down.  Even if we do not know how to help someone succeed, it is sufficient to wish him well.

6.       Like Jesus, we too are called to open the eyes of the blind, to counter public opinions, and to be missionary disciples in our world. On this Mission Sunday, that is our mandate – to speak about what we have seen and heard. The blind man received his sight and began to follow the Lord. As baptized Catholics, let us pray that the Lord may open our eyes to see how we can participate in the mission of the Church: by praying for missionaries all over the world, by praying for vocations, and by contributing financially to support mission work in the Church.  Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.