Originally published at National Catholic Register
User’s Guide to Sunday, Oct. 27
Sunday, Oct. 27, is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52.
The story of Bartimaeus is also our story.
We, too, must let the Lord heal our blindness and give us sight.
Let’s look at this Gospel in six stages.
The text says, “As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the roadside begging.”
Bartimaeus is both blind and poor.
But although he is physically blind, he is not spiritually blind. Being spiritually aware — in touch with our neediness — is an important spiritual insight that many lack.
Some people feel self-satisfied, unaware of who they really are before God (Revelation 3:17).
“On being told it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.’”
Note the subtle but important transition here: Up until this point, Bartimaeus has been calling upon anyone passing by for help. But no mere passerby, nor in fact anyone in this world, can ultimately help him with his
