Homily: October 27, 2024, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (I want to see)

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 "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

Bartimaeus was blind and a beggar, someone whom society had ignored, forgotten and cast aside. Bartimaeus had no status, no rights, nothing. But Bartimaeus had faith. 

He believed that this Jesus whom he had heard so much about, could do for him what others could not do. He was so sure thus he did not hesitate to call out to Jesus who was walking by. Not once, but repeatedly. Even when others told him to stop, to keep silent, he cried out louder.

Jesus heard his cry, his desperate plea for mercy. Jesus saw his sincere persistence and responded to him.

"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

And what Bartimaeus do?

“He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.”

Bartimaeus was spontaneous and immediate in his response. His cloak was the only thing he had, which gave him protection and security. But at the call of Jesus, he threw it aside and came to Jesus, he did not hesitate at all to detach from his one and only possession. He was ready to leave the old life and embrace the new life.

"Master, I want to see."

Bartimaeus knew what he wanted, and his request was granted. The first thing he saw was Jesus’ face and without looking back at his past, he followed Jesus. His conversion is recorded in the Bible, he is a model for us.

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

We pray and ask, but how do we pray?

My grandmother lived a full life of 89 years, passing away on December 27, 1996, when I was in 4th grade. She was blind through the last 25 years of her life. She lived with us, but she had never seen most of her grandchildren. I have so many precious memories of her. One of the vivid memories I have of her, is seeing her always holding on to her green rosary beads and constantly in prayer.

I don’t know how many times she prayed the rosary each day, along with other prayers she knew by heart, offering her prayers silently for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and possibly for family members who had passed on.

Were her prayers answered?

I don’t know, but I am sure her prayers kept her connected with the most important person in her life – Jesus. I am sure her praying kept her spiritually close to God. She seemed satisfied with her life, doing what she could with whatever she had. I have never heard her complain about anything, not even about her blindness.

I heard this wisdom before, that praying consistently is not about getting God to hear us, but it helps us hear God better.

Persisting in prayer keeps us connected to God. In a world full of distractions, staying rooted in constant prayer is crucial. The more distractions we get, the more we need to hear God clearly and to keep focused on the right things.

Worldly affairs distract us from the truth and confuse us. It tempts us with comfort, convenience, pleasures, entertainment, excitement, the so-called ‘good life’. It persuades us that we can achieve all these on our own, that we do not need God, that we do not need to pray. Yet so many people who forget God are living in a false sense of security and happiness, often ending up in despair and desolation.

As Pope Benedict XVI observed, "In vast stretches of the world today, there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even without Him."

We know that without God, the world would end, we would expire forever. The world forgets God, but we cannot forget. Jesus desires for us to have life in its fullness, in its eternity. The only way is to live in Christ, in union with God, praying and connecting with God all the time.

We are blessed to have four seminarians in our midst today, who are discerning their vocation to the priesthood. Like Bartimaeus, they have thrown aside their worldly cloaks and are following Jesus.

Let us together, pray for eyes to see Jesus, the courage to detach from our worldly ways and the grace to follow Him faithfully. Take courage, Jesus is calling us. Amen.


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