Welcoming the Holy

Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.

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By: Sister Joan Sobala

“Take courage! Stand up! Jesus is calling you.” Mark 10.49

Opening Prayer

Lord, help me admit to my blindness and turn to You as Bartimaeus did. I know it takes courage to call out to You and to stand up. I want to, Lord. Help me. Amen.

Reflection

We know nothing about Bartimaeus, except that he is the son of Timaeus. Was he old at the time of his encounter with Jesus? Was he young and stricken with a sudden blindness? Was he bitter about being reduced to begging? Where did he learn enough about Jesus to believe that Jesus could make him see? Bartimaeus is on the edge of the fickle crowd. Indeed the crowd was fickle. First they shush him as unworthy of being noticed by Jesus. Then they do an about face. “Courage, Bartimaeus. Jesus is calling you.”

Sometimes, in our misery, we, too stand in a fickle crowd. Will they deny me access to Jesus or will they call out to us to be courageous in seeking Him? Or are we Bartimaeus, desperate to see Jesus?

Either way, Jesus is ready to engage us with his questions – not “Who are you?” and “What has caused your blindness?” but “What do you want me to do for you?”

When Jesus has cut through the crowd and recognizes our need, let us be ready to tell Him what we want Him to do for us. We may have to think deeply about what we say to Him, but we do so for our own self-understanding for Jesus already knows if we wish to go on generously with Him or selfishly, wanting to see only what satisfies us.

Closing Prayer

Holy, wholly-tender God, Your Son stands before us with love and generosity in His heart.  May we have deep appreciation for Jesus’ readiness to hear us out and welcome us to the company of believers as He did Bartimaeus. May the new sight He offers us turn us away from self-centeredness and toward Him and His company. Amen.