Word to the Wise
Monday, November 14, 2011 - Monday in the 33th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Macc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 and Luke 18:35-43]Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God.
In this incident from the Gospel of Luke, which occurs during Jesus' final ascent to Jerusalem, we are offered a contrast between the faith of those who are "following" Jesus and the faith of the Blind Beggar! The crowd identifies Jesus as "Jesus of Nazareth." The Blind Beggar identifies Jesus as "Jesus, Son of David!" - a messianic title. The crowd tries to silence him, but he persists. Jesus responds to his faith with a "messianic" miracle. [Recall Luke 4:18 and Jesus' reading from Isaiah: "to give sight to the blind."] The Blind Beggar now "sees" with more than physical sight and "follows" Jesus in a way the rest of the crowd is only just beginning to "see."
Jesus responds to persistent faith. What could any of us say to him when he asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" It seems to me that the Blind Beggar has the best answer, "Lord, please let me see!" Who could ask for anything more? AMEN