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.”
Mark 10:46–47
How do you pray? Do you ever “cry out” to Jesus with deep
conviction and intensity? This blind man, Bartimaeus, sets for us a
wonderful example of how we should pray to our Lord. First of all,
the blind man was in a state of need. His blindness symbolizes
every weakness and need you have in life. So what is it that you
struggle with the most in life? What is your greatest habitual sin?
Or what causes you the most grief?
Seeing our weakness is the first step. Once we are aware of our
greatest needs, we must also “cry out” to our Lord just as
Bartimaeus did. Upon hearing that it was Jesus, Bartimaeus somehow
sensed within his soul that Jesus wanted to cure him. How did he
sense this? He listened to the voice of God within. Yes, he heard
the commotion of many speaking about Jesus as He walked by. But
this alone could not have compelled him to cry out and to know that
Jesus was the source of the mercy he needed. That which compelled
him was the clear voice of God, a prompting from the Holy Spirit,
within his soul, revealing to him that he needed Jesus and that
Jesus wanted to cure him.
At first, those around him rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be
quiet. And if Bartimaeus would have been weak in faith, he may have
listened to the crowd and, in despair, remained silent. But it is
quite clear that he not only ignored the rebukes of others, he
“kept calling out all the more.”
Bartimaeus gives us here a double witness of how we must turn to
our Lord. First, we must sense His gentle but clear presence within
our soul. We must recognize His voice and His promptings of grace.
He wants to heal us, and His presence in our lives must be sensed
within. Secondly, we must become intensely fixed upon that voice
within. The crowds who rebuked Bartimaeus are symbolic of the many
“voices” and temptations we experience in life that try to keep us
from faithfully and fervently crying out to the God who speaks to
us. Nothing should deter us from our wholehearted determination to
call to Jesus with our need.
Reflect, today, upon Bartimaeus being an image of yourself. See
yourself in desperate need of our Lord and listen for His clear
voice. Do you hear Him? Do you sense Him walking by? As you do, cry
out to Him with fervor, intensity, and conviction. And if you find
that there are temptations that try to silence your prayer and
faith, increase your intensity and cry out “all the more” to our
Lord. He will hear you, call you to Himself and give you that grace
which He desires to bestow.
My merciful Jesus, You are constantly passing by, drawing me to
Yourself by Your divine presence. Give me the grace I need in order
to see my need and to call out to You with all my heart. May I
never be deterred from this fervent prayer, dear Lord, and when
temptation sets in, may I call out all the more. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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Featured image above: The Healing of the Blind Bartimaeus By
Fernando Gallego, via Wikimedia Commons
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