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A great speaker can command attention and respect, but a man or woman with a helping hand and a big heart is loved more. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who he is with the eyes of faith and grants him physical sight as well. Do you recognize your need for God's healing grace and do you seek Jesus out, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy?

Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Sirach 42:15-25

Psalm 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

M ark 10:46-52  And they came to Jericho; and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimae'us, a blind beggar, the son of Timae'us, was sitting by the roadside. (47) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (48) And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (49) And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." (50) And throwing off his mantle he sprang up and came to Jesus. (51) And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Master, let me receive my sight." (52) And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Meditation by Don Schwager

H ave you ever encountered a once in a life-time opportunity you knew you could not pass up? Such a moment came for a blind and destitute man, named Bartimaeus. He was determined to get near the one person who could meet his need. He knew who Jesus was and had heard of his fame for healing, but until now had no means of making contact with the Son of David, a clear reference and title for the Messiah. It took a lot of "guts" and persistence for Bartimaeus to get the attention of Jesus over the din of a noisy throng who crowded around Jesus as he made his way out of town. Why was the crowd annoyed with the blind man's persistent shouts? He was disturbing their peace and interrupting Jesus' discourse. It was common for a rabbi to teach as he walked with others. Jesus was on his way to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem and a band of pilgrims followed him. When the crowd tried to silence the blind man he overpowered them with his emotional outburst and thus caught the attention of Jesus.

This incident reveals something important about how God interacts with us. The blind man was determined to get Jesus' attention and he was persistent in the face of opposition. Jesus could have ignored or rebuffed him because he was disturbing his talk and his audience. Jesus showed that acting was more important than talking. This man was in desperate need and Jesus was ready, not only to empathize with his suffering, but to relieve it as well.

A great speaker can command attention and respect, but a man or woman with a helping hand and a big heart is loved more. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who he is with the eyes of faith and grants him physical sight as well. Do you recognize your need for God's healing grace and do you seek Jesus out, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy?

"Lord Jesus, may I never fail to recognize my need for your grace. Help me to take advantage of the opportunities you give me to seek your presence daily and to listen attentively to your word."

Supplementary Reading

Declare New Things

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you - (Isaiah 42:9, NIV)

A re you ready to see something new in your life? The question is what have you been declaring? Are you declaring what you see in your circumstances? Are you declaring your worries and frustrations to others, or are you declaring God’s goodness and promises over your life?

Scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. That means we set our future according to what we choose to say. If you need to see change in your circumstances, then start by changing your words. Don’t use your words to describe your situation; use your words to change your situation. Start declaring new things in order to start seeing new things! Declare blessing, declare peace, declare wholeness — declare His Word and watch Him shape your future and lead you into the wonderful new things He has prepared for you!

Father in heaven, today I turn my thoughts, heart and focus toward You. Help me, by Your Spirit, to keep the right perspective as I go about my day. Help me to declare new things so I can take hold of all that You have prepared for me! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. - Joel & Victoria Osteen

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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