"Master, I Want to See"

This past weekend while I was at church, I was hit hard by the message in the Gospel and Homily. It made me stop and think about where I’m at on my journey.

The Gospel was taken from the book of Mark 10:46-52:

“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.”

During the homily, Father Mataya (one of the priests at the UNL Newman Center) spoke of how we all need to regain our sight, but not in a literal sense.

Rather, we all need to see past the blinders that are placed on our eyes, clouding our vision from seeing God’s true path for us. Blinders such as materialism, appearance, judgement, fear, wealth, and perfectionism block our eyes from seeing God in our lives. They keep us from reaching our full physical, mental, emotional, and, most importantly, our full spiritual potential.

Think about this for a moment – in what ways are you blind?

For me, I definitely have the blinders of appearance and fear over my eyes. I worry often about how I look and how I am judged and perceived by those around me, and I’ve talked about my fear of the unknown and how it often holds me back in life.

What blinders are holding you back?

Do you want to see as Bartimaeus did?

Pray to God, beg him with a sincere heart saying, “Master, I want to see.”

He will hear and answer your sincere prayer, but you must be accepting of his answer. Trust me, his answer won’t be easy. It may take a great deal of mental and physical strength to hear and follow. However, in the end, isn’t it worth it?

Today, I challenge you to make a list of the blinders in your life. In what ways are they holding you back? What action steps can you take towards removing the blinders?

Don’t worry or feel overwhelmed. You are not alone in this process. God is at your side.