Help us to see

A Reflection for Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Find today’s readings here.

Among a big crowd in Jericho, Bartimaeus reaches out to Jesus again and again. He’s blind, he’s poor, he’s on the fringes and he’s been told to be quiet…yet he still calls out relentlessly, asking for Jesus’ mercy and help. When Bartimaeus finally gets through, Jesus asks him “What do you want me to do for you?” His response is straightforward: “Master, I want to see.”  

For Bartimaeus, this request was quite literal: He was blind and wanted his sight restored. His abiding faith assured him that Jesus had the power to heal him and so he pursued it. He didn’t doubt and he wasn’t dissuaded by the circumstance; he persisted.

As I reflected on this passage, it occurred to me that perhaps we might all make that same petition. Jesus, help us to see. In our fear, in our sorrow, in our confusion, in our frustration, in our hope, in our timidity, in our love; Jesus, help us to see your presence and your goodness in our day-to-day lives, in other people and in our world. Jesus, help us to see.

In the end, Jesus heals Bartimaeus. He has his vision and is sent off with a message and a lesson: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” He could see because he believed. Indeed. As you did with Bartimaeus, please do with us, Jesus, help us to see.

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