On the Way

Homily for Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Most of the time we are told to “act our age.” This admonition is usually leveled against us when we are acting inappropriately for someone who has reached our particular age. It might come as a little bit of a shock, therefore, when St. Peter tells us that we should act like newborn babies. Newborns tend to make their needs known through their cries. They cry when they are hungry, they cry when they need a clean diaper, and they cry when they are in pain or in distress. In most cases, a vigilant parent or grandparent will come and tend their needs. As time passes, the newborn baby begins to place its trust in the parent or grandparent who answers their cries.

The character from the Gospel text today, the blind beggar Bartimaeus, also cries out when he hears that Jesus is passing by. When the people who have been following Jesus help him come to Jesus, Jesus asks a very simple question: “What do you want me to do for you?” To the unpracticed reader, this question seems completely out of place. It is rather obvious what the blind beggar wants. However, the question Jesus asks is not asked without a purpose. Jesus realizes that he is not only physically blind but spiritually blind as well. By focusing the beggar’s request, Jesus leads him to faith. Just as the newborn baby learns to trust its caregiver, Bartimaeus learns to trust in Jesus. This is evidenced by the fact that he does not simply return to his family to show them what has been done for him; the Gospel very pointedly tells us that he follows Jesus on The Way. St. Mark uses this phrase, for his audience will understand that he has become a disciple.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks us the same question today. When we were younger and still unpracticed in prayer, our requests may have been focused on material things that we thought we needed. However, as a mature Christian, Jesus asks us to focus our request on real needs which will lead us on the way to heaven.