We Are the Beggar

A few weeks ago, I was approached in a coffee shop by a woman who had noticed the Scripture verse on the front of my t-shirt and felt prompted to open up to me about her doubts and struggles within the Christian faith. I was overjoyed to answer her questions and share a bit of my own personal walk with the Lord. Well into our conversation, she looked at me intently and asked, “If you could ask God of only one thing, what would it be?"

I took a long pause and shifted in my seat. What was the last thing I asked of Jesus? My enthusiasm and confidence faded as I realized I simply did not have an answer. I rambled about how the Lord knows what we need before we ask Him, but became increasingly aware that I was afraid to present Him with my desires.

Yet, the blind man from today’s Gospel knows his petitions with such conviction and clarity, crying out the bold refrain of his human frailty and the need for a Savior. He strings together the seven words that would speak boundless freedom into his life.

“Son of David, have pity on me.” (Luke 18:38)

So often, I read this Gospel as another story of Christ’s healing, but forget the unspeakable boldness of the man who begs for the healing. I can hear the voices of the crowd, rebuking him and demanding his silence. Those voices are the doubts and fears that have defined my prayer for seasons now.

When did I begin to call my desires too much for the Lord who planted them in my heart in the first place? When did I stop admitting my needs and confessing my human brokenness? When did I lose my childlike desire to depend entirely on an infinite Father?

At the core of our human identity, we are all the beggar, the blinded, and the outcast. The blind man’s witness gives us full permission and freedom to bring our petitions to Him today, in light of all the things we are not.

If you could ask God of only one thing, what would it be?Click to tweet

If you could ask God of only one thing, what would it be? Sisters, let us ask the Lord today, for He offers sight in our blindness.

Sarah Erickson is a politics pre-law major at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Arizona, she finds great joy in mountains, lattes, American history, and the piano. She is constantly discovering Christ's wild love in the little things. You can find out more about her here.