By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. (Jer 31:7-9; Psalm – Ps 126; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52)
Dear friends in Christ,
The Gospel gives us the story of a man called Bartimaeus. He was a blind beggar. But there was something about him that sets him apart. Though blind, he had a powerful perception, knew what he wanted, and was courageous. His name says a lot about him. Bartimaeus comes from Aramaic and means “son of defilement”. Since the Jews believed that blindness and other physical defects were punishments due to sin (see the argument on the man born blind John 9:34), they looked down on him. But that is not all. There is another side to the meaning of his name. In the Greek version, this name means “son of honor”. By giving the name Bartimaeus with its double meaning, the Gospel writer must be saying that there is someone who is supposed to be a man of honor and dignity but is living in a state of dishonor and shame.
The story of Bartimaeus has lots of lessons for us. This was a blind man who had, for a time, accepted his condition and settled for being a beggar, a life of dependency on the goodwill of others. But inwardly, he knew he wanted something more: to see. But there was no possibility in sight since it has never been known that a blind person is healed of his blindness. So, he had to settle for what was available. This is not far from the story of most of us. Just think of the inner longing that we all have. When we were kids, we dreamed big. But as we grew up, we came to accept that our dreams were impossible to achieve. So, we learned to cut down on what we believed we could become. But that was the beginning of self-sabotage as we allowed our environment and people around us to limit our eagerness to try out the vast potentials that exist in us.
The limited visions, beliefs and logical reasoning of people around us began to shape our perspectives. In the case of Bartimaeus , these were the people who shouted at him to keep quiet when he called out to Jesus to help him. They did not believe that Jesus could do something tangible for this blind man. He is blind and should simply remain so. You have people who tell you that given your background, you cannot go beyond a certain level in society. Such persons are ready to point to several examples of people from backgrounds like yours who simply couldn’t make it beyond the point they claim you too cannot exceed. But they forget that even Jesus was seen as a son of a carpenter from a remote village, Galilee from which no prophet is to arise (cf. John 7:52). Besides the fact that his parents were poor, he chose his disciples from among the poor, uneducated fishermen and notorious tax collectors whom the people considered sinful and enemies of the state.
But all these could not stop Bartimaeus. He shouted even more. What does that tell us? Every worthwhile venture encounters obstacles. Unless you are unwilling to move further in life, you should understand that progress in life is about facing challenges and overcoming them. Look at the life of the apostles of Jesus. They faced enormous troubles and difficulties in their bid to proclaim the good news. How could they have archived what they accomplished, given their powerless situation and the challenge they faced? The Roman Empire was so strong and brutal that no one dared to question its rules. Yet, despite all the persecutions, the apostles and early Christians never gave up. They believed in the power of God in them. They knew that with God all things are possible. Paul described this inner belief and confidence in God in his letter to the Romans 8: 31-39. They were faced with death, persecution, suffering, and all what not. Yet, none of them could separate them from the love of Christ because they have come to understand that in all things, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who has granted us his love.
Fear is a factor that everyone who wants to move further in life must address. Fear robs us of all valuables. We are often afraid of various things, most of which are neither necessary nor ever come to pass. We worry about what people think about us when no one actually cares. Yet it robs us of trying new things or living our life to the fullest. But the moment we get over that, we quickly overcome gossip, envy, backbiting, and people-pleasing. We transfer the energy and time all that rob us to improve ourselves and create better living conditions for ourselves and our loved ones. Above all, we create more time to understand ourselves and our relationship with God who cares the most. The people surrounding Bartimaeus did not care about him. Healing his blindness was not their concern. But Jesus cared, and he still cares.
There is one thing about life that we must never forget: failure has no friends. In the society and the time that Bartimaeus lived, his condition as a blind man marked him out as a natural failure and reduced him to a common beggar. He had no respect among his peers. After all, he was dependent on their generosity to survive. Have you seen how materially dependent people live in societies where wealth or abilities define status? If you lose your job and have to depend on social security, you will realize that there are several things you are not allowed to do. But the moment you begin to flourish, get wealthy, or have a lot to offer, those who disregarded you would seek to become your friends. That is life. Notice how the very people who tried to shut the mouth of Bartimaeus were the same persons who began to encourage him the moment Jesus asked them to bring Bartimaeus to him. They began telling him, “Courage, the master is calling you”.
The Bible notes that to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Rom. 8:6). The people were spiritually blind not to have seen that it was the same God that created them also created Bartimaeus. They have been blinded by material considerations. And that is not different from life considerations in today’s society. You are nobody if you are dependent or if you have nothing to offer. What you can offer, the value you bring to the table, is what defines you. Yet we cannot take any of these things along when we die. That is why Jesus called those who store up treasure without seeking to be friends with God fools in Luke 12:21. What are your criteria for judging and regarding people?
We might be wondering at what could have kept Bartimaeus going when every other person tried to put him down? I think it is the fact that he knew what he wanted and was focused on it. Focus increases our determination, helping us to concentrate all our energies on the one single thing that matters. You cannot stop a person that is focused on a single goal because his or her level of concentration is very high. It is like having one and only opportunity to do something you have longed for all your life. When the opportunity calls, the person would be willing to give it all, never to allow it pass by. That is what Bartimaeus did.
It is sometimes amazing that when you ask a person what he or she wants in a given situation, the person gets lost in thought. This is an experience that often keeps me wondering if we understand the importance of being focused in life. Let us say you are here in the church today. If I should ask you why you have come or what you want from God the most right now. Can you just say it in one minute? There is a game where a child is taken to a supermarket and is told on the spot to pick anything he or she wants within three minutes. It is something funny to see what some children pick. But those who have longed for a particular thing would quickly go to where those things are placed and pick up one for himself or herself. That is what happened to Bartimaeus. Jesus asked him what he wanted him to do for him. Bartimaeus did not hesitate for a moment. He knew what he wanted. He only wanted to see, full stop.
Seeing comes with responsibilities. The moment he is healed of his blindness, he will cease to beg and have to provide for himself. He would have to adhere to rules and learn to do things like every other person. All the exemptions he enjoyed as a blind person would cease. This sounds funny, but some people are so afraid of responsibilities that they seek to remain dependent in one way or the other. They hide their talents and are too shy to come to the forefront. These people are afraid to leave their comfort zones to explore their talents and try new things. They don’t want to do anything out of the ordinary. Do you know that some of you have extraordinary talents? Great cooks, musicians, singers, writers, advisers, mentors, positive thinkers, and countless spiritual gifts? But fear of the accompanying responsibilities and that of what people would say keep you numb. IS it not time to explore these gifts, both temporal and spiritual?
Today, we are called to break free from all shackles of blindness and fear and embrace the life of grace that God is giving us. We are more than what the world thinks of us. We can do all things by the power of Christ who is our strength. When Bartimaeus was healed, he followed Jesus. So, let us come to Jesus who invites us so that he can open our eyes to see how great the riches his call holds for us. Amen.