Reading 1
1 Pt 2:2-5, 9-12
Beloved:
Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk
so that through it you may grow into salvation,
for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were no people
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners
to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles,
so that if they speak of you as evildoers,
they may observe your good works
and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Gospel
Mk 10:46-52
What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10:51)
Imagine that you are Bartimaeus. Everyone in Jericho knows you. You are the blind man, totally dependent on others. You can’t go anywhere unless someone leads you by the hand. The only way you can make money is by begging. Your life is dark and limited. You have no future. You are keenly aware of your need. If only you could see!
So there you are, in your usual spot on the road, holding your cup out for alms, when you hear a distant commotion. It sounds like a large crowd coming nearer and nearer. Someone says, “It’s Jesus of Nazareth!” You’ve heard of this fellow. You’ve never heard him preach, but the whole town is buzzing. They say he speaks with God’s authority and that he has healed people of many different diseases.
Hope stirs in you for the first time in a long time. “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” you cry out. People try to hush you up, but you’re determined to keep yelling until you get Jesus’ attention. Suddenly Jesus stops. He’s heard you! He calls you forward. Now the bystanders who were trying to silence you a minute ago are offering their hands to help you. He is waiting patiently while you make your way through the crowd.
You can’t see him, but you can tell his full attention is on you. He asks a pivotal question: “What do you want me to do for you?” You know exactly what you want, and you declare it: “Master, I want to see.” Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you,” and suddenly you can see! The brilliant colors in your peripheral vision amaze you, but you can’t tear your gaze away from Jesus. What love you see in his eyes!
“Go your way,” Jesus says gently. But instead, you go Jesus’ way, following him down the road. Nothing will ever be the same for you!
Like Bartimaeus, linger with Jesus’ question. You have the Master’s full, patient attention. What do you want him to do for you? What holds you back from following him down that road?
“Jesus, you know me, and you see right down to the deepest desire of my heart. Take that desire into your own heart, and let me be joined to you more deeply than ever before.”
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