To read the texts click on the texts:1 Maccabees 1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-64; Lk 18:35-43
The text of today is also found in the Gospels of Matthew and
Mark, but whereas in Matthew there are two blind men and in Mark the name of
the blind man is Bartimaeus, in Luke there is one blind man who is not named.
However, what is common to all three Gospels is that the blind man/men cries
out to Jesus with a messianic title, “Son of David”, and perseveres in his plea
despite being told by the people to quiet down. Though the question that Jesus
asks the blind man seems redundant, it is necessary for Jesus to ask the
question to indicate his respect for the freedom of the man. While on the
physical level the man is blind, on the spiritual level he has insight because
despite his physical blindness, he is able to recognise that Jesus of Nazareth
is also the Messiah, which those who have physical sight are not able to do.
Jesus attributes the recovery of his sight to his faith.
We might tend sometimes to close our eyes to the good that there
is in others, and we might also prefer to close our eyes to the injustice that
we see around us. We might close our eyes to the suffering of people around us
and we might prefer to close our eyes to the needs of others. Having eyes we
might prefer not to see.
I learnt something new today. I was wondering why Jesus asks questions to the people who needed His help, knowing very well what was their need. IT IS TO RESPECT THE FREEDOM OF MAN/WOMAN. Great learning. Thank you Fr. Errol
ReplyDeleteThank you Fr. Errol for the effort you devote to enlighten us.Invariably we tend to see the good in people after we lose them either through physical separation or death. This explains the long eulogies at funerals. Even if we spent half this time praising the person during the time when he/she was around this world would be a much better place.
ReplyDelete