Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Lord, That I May See (To see and follow Jesus on the way)
My father lost his sight a couple of years before his death in 2006. The sight of him struggling to find his way around the house or being led by hand when he had to walk to the car still haunts my memory to this day. I dread the possibility of losing my own sight. I can imagine the dire situation the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel according to Mark 10: 46-52 found himself, not able to see his way through life. But the lack of sight in today’s Gospel, like the blind man Jesus cured at Bethsaida in Mk 8:22-26, can also be read as spiritual blindness. Blindness in this case is an allegory for our journey of faith. On our journey of faith with Jesus, we are often in a state of spiritual blindness that calls for a cure by Christ. I dread spiritual blindness more than physical blindness.
We don’t always see. Our perceptions of life are often occluded. Sin is often a cause of concealment of reality. Lack of faith is another cause of the poor spiritual perception of life. Bartimaeus approached his blindness with faith. He was courageous and persistent in prayer. He had absolute trust and confidence in the power and compassion of Jesus: “Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk. 10: 48). He knew Jesus was his last resort to get his sight restored. His faith guided him to Jesus who rewards his faith by restoring his sight. Now cured, Bartimeus can see the face of Jesus and walk with him on the way.
We too need our spiritual sight restored so we can see the face of Jesus, the source of clarity-”in your light we see the light” (Ps. 36:9). With our sight restored we can see Jesus in all circumstances and events of our daily life. When we get our spiritual sight back, we will see that Jesus is never absent in our human life and experiences. When we see with our spiritual eyes, then we can follow Jesus along the way to life. So let us pray for faith and persistence in praying, like Bartimaeus, "Lord Jesus, let me receive my sight."
NB: On this World Mission Sunday, let us see the needs of the missions all over the world. Let us see the efforts and sacrifices of our brothers and sisters who leave comfort of home to serve the mission of spreading the Good News to others. Let us pray for the mission of Christ and support it materially.
In Christ our Light,
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
Lord, That I May See (To see and follow Jesus on the way)
My father lost his sight a couple of years before his death in 2006. The sight of him struggling to find his way around the house or being led by hand when he had to walk to the car still haunts my memory to this day. I dread the possibility of losing my own sight. I can imagine the dire situation the blind man in this Sunday’s Gospel according to Mark 10: 46-52 found himself, not able to see his way through life. But the lack of sight in today’s Gospel, like the blind man Jesus cured at Bethsaida in Mk 8:22-26, can also be read as spiritual blindness. Blindness in this case is an allegory for our journey of faith. On our journey of faith with Jesus, we are often in a state of spiritual blindness that calls for a cure by Christ. I dread spiritual blindness more than physical blindness.
We don’t always see. Our perceptions of life are often occluded. Sin is often a cause of concealment of reality. Lack of faith is another cause of the poor spiritual perception of life. Bartimaeus approached his blindness with faith. He was courageous and persistent in prayer. He had absolute trust and confidence in the power and compassion of Jesus: “Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk. 10: 48). He knew Jesus was his last resort to get his sight restored. His faith guided him to Jesus who rewards his faith by restoring his sight. Now cured, Bartimeus can see the face of Jesus and walk with him on the way.
We too need our spiritual sight restored so we can see the face of Jesus, the source of clarity-”in your light we see the light” (Ps. 36:9). With our sight restored we can see Jesus in all circumstances and events of our daily life. When we get our spiritual sight back, we will see that Jesus is never absent in our human life and experiences. When we see with our spiritual eyes, then we can follow Jesus along the way to life. So let us pray for faith and persistence in praying, like Bartimaeus, "Lord Jesus, let me receive my sight."
NB: On this World Mission Sunday, let us see the needs of the missions all over the world. Let us see the efforts and sacrifices of our brothers and sisters who leave comfort of home to serve the mission of spreading the Good News to others. Let us pray for the mission of Christ and support it materially.
In Christ our Light,
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
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