AND as he was leaving Jericho along with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, son of Timaeus sat at the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up. Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you”? The blind man replied, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told me, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10: 46-52)
This vivid and dramatic scene on the life of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel speaks volume to many of us. We often find ourselves in the life of the blind man during moments of struggles and darkness. We too often repeatedly shout out saying, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
Instead of focusing on the character of the blind man, let us look at the other important character in the Gospel: the “many” in the large crowd who were following Jesus. They played an important part in this Gospel for they became Jesus’ advocates, intermediaries, and encouragers.
At the beginning of the scene, the blind beggar’s cry for help irritated them, so they urged him to be quiet. But then they heard Jesus asking them to call the blind man. Without hesitation, they obeyed Jesus and told the man, “Take courage. Arise! He is calling you.” The blind man threw off his clothes, rose up, and came to Jesus.
Isn’t it our role as Christians to bring others to the heart and arms of Jesus? We’re called to encourage others to turn to Jesus for help. We’re called to intercede to God for them.
It’s striking to think that this is precisely what Jesus conveys in the Gospel. Jesus could have responded directly to the cry of the blind man without seeking the assistance of the people around him. Instead, he asked them to call the blind man—to encourage him to take courage, walk to Jesus, and seek healing of his blindness.
The story of the healing of the blind man then is more than a story of God coming to our rescue. It’s a story of how he wants us all to be his partners in bringing healing to people and the world. It’s a story of discipleship.
Through Baptism God calls us to represent His son, Jesus, the High Priest, to people who are confused, who are searching for truth and looking for direction, meaning, and purpose in life. He calls us to free others from the bondage of sin and bring them to the light of Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He calls us to share in the royal priesthood of Jesus to serve the poor, the sick, the lame, the blind, and the weak.
I find this calling to be particularly evident in the life of an ordained priest. A priest’s fundamental role is to represent Jesus in a world that needs healing, reconciliation, and light. The Second Reading from the Letter of the St. Paul to the Hebrew speaks about this role: “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people.” (Hebrew 5:1-4)
Despite our weaknesses then, God keeps inviting us and urging us all to bring love, peace, and harmony to a broken and divided world. In today’s times when deep divisions in politics and church dismay us, the more that we need the urging and encouragement of each other to get up and to keep hearing the voice of Jesus to be his disciples, his healing partners.
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1991-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
