In our Gospel today we see Jesus leaving Jericho and taking the dangerous road to Jerusalem where scourging, crucifixion, death and resurrection, by which the world is saved, await Him. Yet no thought of reasonable triage prevents him, like the Good Samaritan, from tending to the blind Bar Timaeus who sits on the side of the road calling for mercy. Mercy and joy Jesus gives him by restoring to him his sight.
Our story today is indeed of Mercy and Joy, and Wisdom and Might.
We too call upon the Lord for mercy – in threefold form ? make manifest His on –going work of creation within us.
Bartimaeus’ attempts to call upon the Lord were met with opposition from those around him who scolded him and told him to keep quiet.
But other voices spoke to him saying, Courage, get up, He is calling you.
We might ask what are the voices which prevent us calling on the Lord? There is the voice of our ancient enemy, the Satan, the accuser of our race who may use our own thoughts or the words of others to paralyze us with too much shame, and so that we fail to discern the presence of the gracious Lord.
And whence come the voices who tell us, Courage, get up, He is calling you? They are the voices of those who themselves have tasted the goodness of the Lord, of our friends on earth and in Heaven. They are the voices of all those who from our infancy have looked on us with Love and wished us well, who still abide with us and know the Lord is near.
Up with us then at last to allow the Lord restore our sight, the delight of our hearts, that we may exult in His presence with the joy of his gift of life, now and forever, Amen