The blind shall see....

I’m not sure if it was just coincidence or a prompting by the Holy Spirit that led me to notice the lady with the white cane walking toward the church this morning.  Or the other blind woman who received Holy Communion as her guide-dog led her in the procession line.  I had never noticed either parishioner before—rather, I recognized them, but had not realized they were sightless.  Since I am not inclined to believe in coincidence, I think it was a call for me to meditate a bit more on today’s readings.

In Mark’s gospel today, Jesus restores sight to a blind man named Bartimaeus. On hearing that Jesus is coming, Bartimaeus drops his cloak, probably his only possession, and springs up off the ground to meet Him. The gospel doesn’t tell us so, but I imagine Bartimaeus as a man of maybe 40 or 50.   Being 40 or 50 in those days, he was probably not very spry. He’s probably pretty dirty because he’s been sitting on the ground begging, and to top it off he can’t see! So when he literally leaps up and goes parading off, in what he must be hoping is the right direction, I am struck by the determination of his faith.

As Christians we are called to toss aside our material possessions, jump off the ground, and teeter off in the direction of Jesus’ voice. We are called to acknowledge our own weaknesses so that we can lean upon the shoulder of Christ and let him provide the compliments to our inadequacies. God says in Jeremiah 31:7-9, “They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them.” Regardless of the weaknesses we struggle against and the other obstacles in our lives, faith helps us to find God in even the most desolate of moments so that we may find strength through Him.

I am led by the Holy Spirit tonight as I write this to think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  As we enter the confessional after a thorough examination of conscience, we are sitting by the side of the road shouting, “Son of David, have pity on me!”  As we confess our sins to the priest in persona Christi we throw off our cloak of sins and run to Christ for healing.  In the prayer of Absolution, Christ is telling us “Go in peace, your faith in My mercy has cured your blindness.”  Then He bestows upon us the strength of Sanctifying Grace through the Holy Spirit to help us amend our lives and live in a manner pleasing to Him.

Peace be with you all.