just another "bar"
"Jesus said in reply, 'Be on your way. Your faith has healed you.' " —Mark 10:52
Today and many times throughout our lives, may Jesus say to each of us what He said to the blind beggar, Bartimaeus: "Your faith has healed you."
Like Bartimaeus, may we express our faith by:
- crying out audibly and publicly for Jesus to have mercy on us (Mk 10:47),
- crying out even louder when pressure is applied to silence us (Mk 10:48),
- fearlessly throwing aside our "security blankets," jumping up, and coming to Jesus (Mk 10:50),
- accepting Jesus ("Savior") as the Son of David (see Mk 10:47, 48), that is, the Messiah, and as Rabboni, that is, Teacher (Mk 10:51),
- admitting our spiritual blindness and asking to be healed (see Mk 10:51),
- receiving our sight (Mk 10:52), and
- following Jesus as His disciple (Mk 10:52).
Many of us live at a time and a place of lukewarm Christianity (see Rv 3:16). Jesus is saying to us: "Little do you realize how wretched you are, how pitiable and poor, how blind and naked!" (Rv 3:17) If we would but have the faith of Bartimaeus, we would see our blind and blinding culture of death transformed into a civilization of life and love. Be another Bartimaeus.
Prayer: Father, give me the faith to move mountain ranges (see Mk 11:23).
Promise: "Be as eager for milk as newborn babies — pure milk of the Spirit to make you grow unto salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." —1 Pt 2:2-3
Praise: Week by week, year by year, Frances is transforming her parish by letting herself be transformed by the Spirit.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, November 15, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 16, 2001