Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 29, 2008 - Thursday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
[1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 and Mark 10:46-52]Take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you!
Those encouraging words come from a crowd that moments before were trying to silence Bartimaeus! It can be really amazing how people can get possessive or so fixated on a religious figure that they attempt to control access to that figure. Read the story. Bartimaeus must have had a very loud voice because the gospel says, "And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more...." It is only when Jesus stops and says, "Call him!" that we see a sudden change of attitude. There are a couple of important lessons in this, depending on our position. Are we the beggar? Or are we in the crowd? If we're beggars, we need to be persistent to get through those who have managed to surround Jesus and try to control access. If we're in the crowd, we need to pay attention lest we keep others from getting to Jesus. It may be that if we are in the crowd and ignoring Bartimaeus, we should imitate his request to Jesus, "Master, I want to see!" AMEN