This morning’s gospel from Mark (10:46-52) offers two great lessons for us. It is about Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who kept calling out for mercy to Jesus as he was passing on the road from Jericho. People kept trying to quiet him but he kept shouting until he got the attention he was seeking. First lesson: perseverance. When Jesus heard and had him brought forward, the question was clear: What do you want me to do for you? The answer was just as clear: Master, I want to see. Second lesson: Be sure of what you really want from God and speak it unequivocally.
We all have some blind spots and a great practice is to recognize them and then work to overcome them. But we can’t do that alone. Even when we know what clouds our sight or our intentions for good, we sometimes fail to live up to our best selves. So today my plan is to listen to that question of Jesus and dig deep into the mirror of my inner prompting for the courage to answer, like Bartimaeus: Master, I want to see!
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 