In today's Gospel we learn about how Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus.
Holy Spirit, fill my heart and illuminate my mind. Help me to hear and understand God's message today. Help me to recognize when God is trying to speak to me in my daily life. Amen
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. "And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you. "He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvH0-CFOn0 (Credit to Catholic Kids Media)
Ask: What have you asked your parents to do for you this week? (to buy a particular food at the grocery store, to help you with your homework, for permission to go to a friend’s house, and so on) If their first answer to you was no, did you ask again? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
Sometimes we ask again, even when the answer is no. Why? (because asking works, because we know that our parents care about us and want to make us happy, and so on)
Say: We can be very persistent with our parents, especially when we want something from them. We do this because we know how much our parents love us and they want us to be happy. In today’s Gospel, we hear how a blind man’s persistence in asking Jesus for help was rewarded.
Ask: What does Bartimaeus do when he hears that Jesus was passing by? (He calls out, asking Jesus to have pity on him.) Why must he be persistent in calling out to Jesus? (Some people in the crowd are telling him to be quiet.) What does Bartimaeus do? (He calls out to Jesus all the more.) When Jesus stops and calls for him, what does Jesus do and say? (He restores Bartimaeus’s sight; Jesus tells Bartimaeus that his faith has saved him.)
Say: Bartimaeus continues to call out to Jesus because he believes that Jesus will heal him. Jesus’ words to Bartimaeus tell us that our persistence in prayer is a sign of our faith that God wants to save us.
Ask: What do you think this might teach us about prayer? (We should be persistent in our prayer, continuing to bring our needs to God; we should pray with confidence, trusting that God wants to help us.)
Conclude by praying together prayers of petition. Invite each person to present a prayer aloud; all respond, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us.” Conclude with the Glory Be to the Father.
Father in heaven, for the conversion of sinners, we give you today, all that we think and do and say, and we join it with all that was done by Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen
