“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”That is quite a direct statement – not something you’d say to a complete stranger – but it was also something that would have gotten his attention. And perhaps it was more than just to get his attention, perhaps it was also an act of hope – “Can you do for me the things I hear you do for others?” Do we lower our expectations of Jesus? Do we think that he will not do for us what we hear he does for other people? And then comes the perseverance. We’re told that many sternly ordered him to be quiet. This reminds me of other situations like the Syro-Phoenician woman, whom Jesus first does not respond to, and then seems to indirectly, and then directly dismisses.
But he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”Do you ever feel like giving up in prayer when God doesn’t seem to answer? In Jesus’ encounter of the Syro-Phoenician woman and with Bartimaeus, there is an inner growth that’s taking place in the midst of adversity. As the outlook looks less and less promising, our faith and hope becomes that much more rooted in God, if we stay our course. And then Jesus calls, and the winds change. Now all the people who were formerly pushing Bartimaeus away are all of a sudden encouraging him. Have you ever experienced things all of a sudden changing and a path opening up for you? And we can see the hope that has deepened in Bartimaeus as he throws off his cloak – this was very likely his only possession, besides the clothes on his body and sandals on his feet if he had any. And he threw it away – he’s blind! How is he going to find it again? Unless he is convinced that with Jesus, everything is going to be ok. And then come those fateful words, which perhaps we need to hear God speak to each of us, whether it is on a retreat, or just a few quiet moments in prayer:
“What do you want me to do for you?”What is your answer?
Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis, the founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, is one step closer to sainthood.
Few might know the name Élodie Paradis, but many know the name Mother Marie-Léonie. She was a Marianite Sister of Holy Cross and founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family and today is her feast day. Elodie was born May 12 1840 in L’Acadie, Lower Canada, the only daughter among the six children of […]