Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

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.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Like the blind man, we too should cry out for Jesus’ pity in spite of whatever voices in our lives tell us to be quiet and suffer in silence. When our doubts, fears, and anxieties (or other people) try to shout down our appeals to God or seek to convince us to give up, we should keep calling out to Him. We should take courage that God hears us and wants to give us every possible chance to be healed of our sins and saved. And when Jesus does call out to us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we should heed his call, spring up, and come to him as fast as we can. Only then will we be able to stand up against those who persecute our faith. Only then will we be freed of those infirmities of spirit that keep us from seeing, hearing, and knowing the Truth.

Do we call out to Jesus when we are in need? Do we seek God’s pity and forgiveness? Are we willing to express our faith even when others tell us to be silent?

O Lord, have pity on us.

Amen.