At once he regained his sight and followed him along the road: Commentary by Fr. Jorge Miró

Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the Gospel of this Sunday, October 27, 2024, entitled “At once he regained his sight and followed him along the road”

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The Word of God that we proclaim today speaks to us of the struggle between light and darkness, and of the healing and saving power of faith.

The Gospel shows us the impressive scene of Jesus’ encounter with the blind man of Jericho, who lives in darkness until he meets Jesus: Jesus Christ is the light and gives him the light that allows him to see.

We are all represented in him. It is our own story. So many times, you and I are like the blind man: sitting on the side of the road, begging for alms. So often we are tired and overwhelmed, disenchanted and frustrated, taciturn and “over the hills” of everything, lacking confidence and hope, full of wounds…

And so often, lost and disoriented, we go “begging” for happiness and life, and we ask for it from idols: affection, money, success, power, pleasure, beauty…

And so our disenchantment ends up increasing, when we realize that idols cannot give us life. And along this path, we easily end up living a life that we do not see the meaning of.

And in the midst of this story – your story – cry out to the Lord, tell him: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”

And the Lord, who loves you and is there with you, in the midst of your sufferings, says to you: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Open your heart to the Lord! Give to the Lord your life, your sufferings, your wounds…! Ask Him for what you need!

But above all, ask Him like the blind man: Lord, may I regain my sight, may I see. Ask for the Holy Spirit! So that you may see that the Lord is with you, that He never stops loving you. And then you will be able to follow Jesus, praising and glorifying Him along the way.

We all live in the deepest darkness until we meet Jesus Christ and let Him fill our hearts. When Jesus Christ fills our hearts, the darkness fades, and we see clearly, although the threat of darkness is always present, and therefore Christian life is a permanent struggle between light and darkness.

After regaining his sight, Bartimaeus followed him along the way: he becomes his disciple, he participates with Jesus in the great mystery of salvation: Go, your faith has saved you. Faith is a path of enlightenment.

The Word invites you to come out of the darkness and seek the light that is Christ. It invites you to examine your own life in the light of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church, and to see if it conforms to the light that is Christ, or if there are still dark areas full of darkness that need to be illuminated. No corner of your life can escape this light. If you are a Christian, you must manifest it in everything you think, say and do. Being a Christian is having the same feelings and attitudes that Christ Jesus had (Phil 2:4).

Come Holy Spirit! Give me the gift of seeing the love of God in my daily life.