The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time:      October 24, 2021      Mark 10:46-52

When I moved to Tucson a few years ago, one of the realities I had to adjust to was the large number of homeless people found in nearly every part of the city. The weather — especially the minimal rainfall and mild winters — make this a natural landing place for those who might not easily find a home in other parts of the country. As much as I hate to admit it, I still sometimes find myself feeling embarrassed or disconcerted by the extended hands or incoherent mumbling. This is a challenging reality, especially when I remember that as Christians — and particular in my vocation as a religious brother — we’re called to be people of encounter.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to understand the discomfort that Jesus’ followers seemed to have felt in this Sunday’s passage from the Gospel of Mark. After all, the blind man, Bartimaeus, was causing a spectacle, shouting at Jesus. But even after the people in the crowd told him to be quiet, he kept calling out “all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’”

As we’ve discovered over the past several Sundays, the Apostles and the other disciples don’t seem to be able to comprehend Jesus’ message or to understand the true cost and meaning of discipleship. After all, these are the same men who openly opposed him when Jesus tried to teach them about his coming suffering and death.

This Sunday we are given the story of this blind beggar who seems to be able to see what the Apostles cannot. In fact, the physical healing of Bartimaeus is a powerful reminder that, when we open ourselves to God’s grace, we can be healed of that blindness of spirit that sometimes prevents us from following Jesus with freedom and joy, which is an important part of discipleship.

Saint Mark beautifully describes Bartimaeus’ excitement when Jesus finally calls for him, “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” There is an energy in his response that wonderfully exemplifies the enthusiasm that should be a hallmark of our discipleship. When the Lord calls, we must be ready to respond. And because of his faith and willingness to act, Jesus rewards the blind man by not only restoring his physical sight but by empowering him to live out his faith in the community of disciples.

The invitation for us this Sunday is to humbly reflect on the ways we might be spiritually blind by asking ourselves what habits, attitudes, and ideologies hold us back from becoming the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be.

Bro. Silas Henderson, S.D.S.

https://4lpi.com/blog/blindness-of-spirit/?