30th Sunday of OT (B)

Ask God for what we need MARK 10:46–52 

“What do you want me to do for you?”

What a question to ask a blind man! Does Jesus not know what Bartimaeus wants? It is a question which shows the respect Jesus shows to the recipient of His favour.

It was the question that Fr Gerry Pantin and Wes Hall asked as they went up Laventille Hill to respond to the needs of the people there. I believe the first request was for a basketball court. That first request led to the creation of SERVOL.

When I was in parish ministry, a blind man asked me for a computer. A computer? A kind sister of mine gave me one for him. He now works at NALIS and last year he phoned to ask if I could bless his marriage! It all began with an unexpected request.

Sometimes as would-be do-gooders, we believe we know what people need and end up being frustrated when they do not appreciate our efforts.

A recovering alcoholic who was a lawyer testified that he had to reach the gutter before he would admit he needed help. It was when his wife threatened to leave him that he finally made his way to Alcoholics Anonymous.

St Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises exhorts his directees to begin each prayer by expressing their deepest desire. As a great spiritual guide, he understood that we need to ask God for what we need in our spiritual journey.

A few weeks ago at a mall in Gulf City, we met a clerk who asked us what she could do for us. She then took the trouble to go inside to try to find the item we needed. Employee of the Year award!

Prayer

Lord, we come to you in our need. We pray that we will not let the crowd stop us from approaching You with our requests. Remove the blindness of our lives so that we, like Bartimaeus, will follow You on the road of life. Amen

The Gospel Meditations for October were by Sr Annette Chow of the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny.