Expose it to Jesus! Homily for Thursday of the 8th week in ordinary time JUNE 2023

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR 1 

Sirach 42:15-25; Ps.33; Mark 10:46:52

Expose it to Jesus!

At the beginning of the gospel reading of today, it was mentioned that a great multitude followed Jesus as he was leaving Jericho. We are not told who they were neither was it recorded why they followed Jesus or what exactly they benefited from following Jesus. But immediately the case of the beggar came up, issues were clearly spelt out: his name was given as Bartimaeus, his problem was mentioned to be blindness, his reason for wanting to meet with Jesus was so that his sight could be restored; and in the final analysis, his request was granted.

The difference between the multitude and Bartimaeus that brought about a more profound encounter between him and Jesus was the fact that Bartimaeus acknowledged his weakness. Prior to his meeting with Jesus, he humbled himself and begged to earn a living. When he learnt that Jesus was passing by, he was not ashamed to cry out for help. To be blind could be quite shameful but then Bartimaeus did not care shouting and publicizing his condition amidst a great number of people.

What Bartimaeus did is what we need to do too. All of us stand in need of God’s mercy and healing. But we need to first acknowledge our deficiencies and make a movement of faith towards the Lord for healing. We need to constantly present our weaknesses before God that he may help us overcome them so that we can become better persons.

It is never a right thing to feel helpless in our weakness; it is even worse to justify them. The fact remains that our shortcomings interfere with our relationship with others; they reduce our capacity to love. Therefore, when we present them to the Lord, we are invariably asking the Lord to increase our capacity to love. When Bartimaeus was healed, his capacity to love was increased that explains why he followed the Lord immediately.

Beloved, do not give up on your weaknesses, report them to Jesus through prayers and frequenting the sacrament of reconciliation. Like Bartimaeus, it is in acknowledging our weaknesses that our encounter with God in prayer becomes profound.