Prison Awareness Sunday

First reading: Jer. 31:7–9

Thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born.

Second reading: Heb. 5:1–6

Brothers and sisters: 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. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my son: this day I have begotten you; just as he says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel: Mk. 10:46–52

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. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

In other words Fr. Simon Boiser, SVD (Germany)

A lot of use wear glasses. Some wear contact lenses. I prefer to wear glasses because I can take them off whenever I want to. When my eyes want to relax or during sports, I do not wear them. There was a time when I also took them off whenever I gave my homilies during Masses. When I was young and insecure, I struggled with stage fright and public speaking. I did not want to see the faces of the people whom I was talking to. I would rather not see them clearly so that I can concentrate on the material of my sermon and not be distracted by probably uninterested or sleepy faces. So I took off my glasses and preferred to be half-blind when speaking to people who looked like blurred ghosts.

Like the blind beggar Bartimaeus, I preferred to be “blind” in front of seemingly frightening situations. It is a similar reaction when faced with a terrible reality: we close our eyes instinctively to avoid seeing its horror. This natural inclination to voluntary blindness can be applied to our spiritual lives as well. When we are spiritually blind, we cannot see the horrors of our sins. We cannot see what our sinful deeds are doing to us. Consequently, we do not see the lost years and wasted days of a sin-filled life. We get used to the ruined lives caused by sin with all its suffering, sorrow, and sadness.

Spiritually blinded people cannot also see the beauty of salvation, which the Lord can give. They do not see just how wonderful God is. Bartimaeus may have been physically blind but not spiritually blind. He saw something about Jesus that others with 20/20 vision did not see. He saw the royal dimensions of Jesus’ identity. Bartimaeus discerned that Jesus can show mercy and heal. Being a blind beggar at the bottom rung of social privilege allowed him to see who Jesus really is and what he is capable of doing. Sometimes our moments of failure, poverty, and despair allow us to search for God and see in Him as our only Savior.

Upon finding his Savior who passed by, Bartimaeus took courage to call him. People tried to silence and rebuke him, but he remained persistent. Faith does not come easily; it must overcome obstacles to acquire what it seeks. We are like the crowd, who do not want to bother Jesus with our little worries, so we try to silence the voices in our hearts begging for mercy. We are also like the disciples, who want to follow the Lord, but actually have no clue who He really is, what He really means for our lives. Or we are like the blind Bartimaeus, who longs for healing, and yet fears the profound changes such healing would make in our lives.

If Jesus is passing by your heart today, get to Him while He is near. Do not worry about what other people might think. Get to Jesus, and do not let anything stop you.