Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by 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."

Bartimaeus gives us an example of how we should call out to Jesus in our daily lives. We may not be physically blind, but our sins can make us spiritually blind. When this happens all we can do is seek out Jesus and ask him to have pity on us. Just as Bartimaeus, we will face rebukes by friends, families, and neighbors who won’t understand our desire for God’s help. However, if we persist in our belief in Jesus and trust in his mercy, then we will be called to God and He will answer our prayers. Then we will be able to take courage and know God will grant us what we need in order to do His Will in all things.

Do we call out to God when we are in need? Do we allow others to intimidate us into not living out our faith? How can we take courage in Christ?

O Lord, we call upon you, have mercy on us.

Amen.