Finally! Our 4 postulants from Myanmar are with us. Welcome!
Fraternity
The episode of the blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10:48ff) is an expresssion of Jesus walking the talk of the previous episodes. Jesus had been saying that the least are the greatest in the kingdom. The rich man (Mk 10:17ff) did not have the courage to follow Jesus, but this blind beggar, an insignificant member of the society, followed him immediately.
Interestingly, the gospel records the name of this beggar and that of his father, but says nothing about the rich man. In a way, this beggar is more free than the rich man. He, unlike the young man, did not need to sell anything, nor was he attached to anything. As soon as his eyesight was restored, he was free to follow Jesus.
This blind beggar became the model of a disciple. He was asking for mercy and eyesight, but he was able to see the giver beyond the gift. Once healed, he did not just go on with his then normal life. His eyesight was now for following Jesus.
May 29, 2008 at 11:04 am
Being mindful, watchful, and open counters blindness.
By being aware, open and engaging helps me to refine the present moment into something new, relevant, and meaningful. It allows me to choose my response rather than just react blindly.
If I am in tune with God, then each new experience becomes a Christ experience (Jesus is invited into and transform the situation), otherwise, I will be just passing Jesus by.
Each response I make hence challenges me to be for Christ or against Christ.
If you can, Lord, you can make me see and do your will.
May 31, 2008 at 2:14 am
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign, which said: ‘I am blind, please help.’ There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, ‘Were
u the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?’
The man said, ‘I only wrote the truth. I said what u said but in a different way.’
What he had written was: ‘Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.’
Do you think the first sign & the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course, both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story:
Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
Invite the people towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets..
When Life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Don’t believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.