While the things that I hold onto for some semblance of security have become more  complex over the years, they most certainly   have not decreased in number. Obviously,   I can’t go walking around with security blankets or pacifiers nowadays (at least not without getting some well-earned judgmental looks), but my phone, laptop, and the massive box of liturgical books I carry in my car at all times   keep me feeling as though I have things under control. I’ve even noticed an alarming  multiplication of things I always carry on my  person. Phone, keys, wallet, other keys,   pocketknife, rosary, oil stock, travel stole; the list goes on. If I leave things behind, I feel exposed in a cruel, uncaring world. How little trust I must have as I rely on heaps of junk to get me through the day.
 
 


Whenever this week’s Gospel comes up in the  lectionary, I am struck by how the blind man throws aside his cloak to go after Jesus. That cloak represents everything that protects him from the elements, and without his vision, there is no guarantee that he would be able to easily   go back to pick it up again. His trust must be  complete if he is willing to roll the dice on Jesus being there for him. Indeed, a great many stories in the Gospel show people leaving behind        everything because they trust that, if they really need something, Jesus will provide. If Peter can leave behind an entire way of life to follow the Lord, why do we struggle to leave behind our phone, our apps, or our sins?

Trusting in God’s providence and His ability (and desire) to care for you is at the very heart of what it means to be a disciple. Even before  we received the Faith in baptism, God’s call has constantly been there, asking us to leave  everything and follow Him unreservedly. It’s   not an exaggeration to say that every person reading this has something that is taking up space in our hearts and our lives that should     be given over wholly to Jesus. If I trusted Jesus more, I would be a better priest. If you trust    Jesus just a little more each day, you will discover greater depths of love in your vocation.
 
Perhaps the message of today’s Gospel is an important reminder to push through the resistance and cry out to Jesus in your need.  People rebuked the blind man, trying to keep  the peace and stay on task, but he continued to cry out, knowing that only Jesus could heal him. There are many times when people, ourselves included, try to keep us from seeking help.    Maybe we feel as though we should make it on our own steam, or we don’t want our weakness to be seen. But following Jesus unreservedly means looking like a hot mess sometimes, and we have to be willing to admit that to ourselves and others. Be vulnerable with your struggles, ask for prayers, and pray with other people that are on this journey with us. Be like Bartimaeus, the blind man, and cry out to the Lord in your need, and when you see others in a similar situation, pray with them, and walk with them towards the Lord. If we do so and are willing to trust Him unreservedly, we will grow in holiness day by day, and eventually find that we are able to do  so at the drop of a hat, without caring so much about how it looks to others.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC