Mercy and Healing

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, October 27th, 2024:
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Mark
​10.46-52

As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.”

Immediately the man regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

When I read this Gospel passage, I am struck by the immense hope of Bartimaeus as he calls out for Jesus’ mercy. We don’t know anything about Bartimaeus except that he is a blind beggar, but that tells us a lot already. We know that he must struggle more than most just to perform the duties of daily life and that he is not only blind but poor enough to need to beg. Furthermore, because in Jesus’ time a physical ailment is believed to be a sign of spiritual problems or sin, Bartimaeus must often be subjected to disgust and reproach from those passing by him. This is his state when Jesus arrives — and yet Bartimaeus is full of hope! 

This quotation from Saint Teresa of Avila has anchored me in the virtue of hope for years now, and so I share it here in full since all of it deserves to be reflected on: 

Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.

It is beautiful that when he calls out to Jesus, Bartimaeus doesn’t immediately ask for healing. Instead, he asks for mercy, calling out against expectations, against convention. Even when he is sternly reproached, Bartimaeus calls out again to Jesus, begging for mercy. 

And, of course, Jesus notices Bartimaeus in his need — because Jesus always notices us in our need — and in response to Bartimaeus’ hopeful courage, He heals him. And then we read that awe-inspiring declaration from Jesus after the healing, a message he shares with others in the Gospels after they’ve been healed: “Your faith has made you well.”

May we, like Bartimaeus, be so full of the virtue of hope and so abandoned to the virtue of faith that we call upon the Lord and finally be made well!



​Sr. Angela Burnham​

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