To the Band of Brothers: October 25, 2021

Fr. Willie ‘87 | President
Good morning!

As I was sitting in the airport yesterday morning in Washington DC waiting for my flight home, I decided to block out the noise and reflect a little on the readings for Sunday Mass. While all readings from Scripture should excite me, I confess the gospel reading from Mark (10:46-52) had me especially pumped. It is one of my favorites.

Mark tells us the story of Jesus walking through the city of Jericho with his disciples followed by a sizable crowd. Hopefully, you remember something about the city of Jericho. It was the ancient version of “Sin City.” The Old Testament, in the Book of Joshua, tells us things got so bad, they were eventually conquered by the Israelites when they blew trumpets and the walls came tumbling down. It was pretty dramatic.

Anyway, in this city was a blind man named Bartimaeus. One thing important to note about this, we know the guy’s name. If you look at the miracles of Jesus, the vast majority of them are related to us without giving the name of the person being cured. You have a blind man here, a leper there, a smattering of possessed individuals or deaf-mutes, but no names. The question is, why do we know this guy’s name? Well, more than likely because he was still very much around when Mark wrote the gospel. He remained an active member of the Christian community and was able to tell the story himself.

Bartimaeus finds out Jesus of Nazareth is around and decides to call out to him in despair seeking his help. Even though the crowds tell him to be quiet, he shouts even louder. Jesus stops, asks what’s going on, then calls the man over. Just imagine, Jesus and his disciples must have passed by hundreds of beggars, paralytics, and blind people, but the Bible tells us he only cured this guy. Why? The simple explanation is because he was the only one who asked. He was the only one that day who put it all on the line, recognized his problem, and reached out. He was the only one with faith in Jesus.
 
This, my brothers, is the key to the spiritual life. Many people ask me why they feel God so distant. They wonder why their relationship with God is so weak, why they can’t feel God. I always ask them: how often do you pray? How often do you call out? How often do you drown out the noise of those around you who tell you not to waste your time and reach out to Jesus asking him to have pity on you? For as much as Jesus wants to be with you, he won’t unless you invite him in. Jesus is not big on invading your space or forcing you into a relationship. He is all about letting himself be found if you seek, opening the door if you knock. That’s when the magic (actually, the miracles) happens.

Do you want further proof? Notice when Jesus calls over Bartimaeus he asks him a question, “What do you want me to do for you?” What do you mean, “What do you want me to do for you?”! Isn’t it obvious? I am blind, you are Jesus… what do you think? Of course, Jesus knew, but he needed Bartimaeus to take ownership and ask. He wanted to respect Bartimaeus’s choice. 

This reminds me of baptisms. I do a lot of these. When a young couple brings their newborn to church after several meetings with me, paperwork, and prep classes, the first question I ask them when the ceremony begins is, “What do you ask of the Church?” Of course, I know. I may look clueless, but I am not. I need, the Church needs, the parents to take ownership and ask.

The asking is significant because Jesus realizes he can’t force his power on the blind man. For as much good as he knows it will do Bartimaeus, his choice to have the dialogue with Jesus, his choice to be cured (or not be cured), his choice to accept the consequences of being on the receiving end of a miracle (Mark tells us Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way after being cured), is dependent on Bartimaeus taking ownership and asking. The same is the case with parents and baptism.

You know, we are all blind in some way or another. Our blindness may not be physical, but it can be spiritual. We close our eyes to the beauty and awesomeness of God around us. We close our eyes to the need of having Jesus in our lives, the need of focusing our time on prayer, going to Mass, praying the rosary, visiting the sick, and feeding the poor. We are sometimes so focused on our needs that we fail to see the needs of those around us. The cure is simple, reach out to Jesus, start the dialogue, tell him what you need.

Auspice Maria
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.