Word to the Wise
Monday, November 19, 2007 - Thirty-third Monday in Ordinary Time
[1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 and Luke 18:35-43]As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more.....
We know the story pretty well. One of the other gospels calls the blind guy, "Bartimaeus." It is a very good incident of Jesus' response to the faith of a blind person who showed that they could already "see." What catches my attention every time, however, is the crowd that tries to silence Bartimaeus. If he had accepted their attempts, he would have remained blind! This leads me to wonder about those of us who claim to follow Jesus and how we treat those who try to come to Jesus in such a way that they "interfere" with our personal "listening." What seems clear in this story is that the crowd (who have sight) is really "blind" and the beggar (who is blind) sees who Jesus truly is! It is only after Jesus responds and heals that the crowd seems to "get it" and give praise to God. St. Catherine of Siena was noted for her admonition to her followers to "dwell in the cell of self-knowledge." Healthy self-knowledge requires alertness to those "blind spots" that may keep us from recognizing what real discipleship is. Occasionally we need someone "blind" to guide us! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
99 ms
4
