How to be Saved, in Five Steps

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north;
I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.
They departed in tears,
but I will console them and guide them;
I will lead them to brooks of water,
on a level road, so that none shall stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel: Mark 10:46-54

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.

NAB

oct 25

How to be a saved by your faith, in five steps, care of Bartimaeus the blind beggar:

Acknowledge your weaknesses, and call upon Jesus.
When everyone around you tells you to knock it off, don’t.
When Jesus calls you, come RUNNING, throwing aside your stuff.
When Jesus asks you what you want, tell him YOU WANT TO SEE.
Then . . . follow Jesus on the way.

We each have our own blindnesses. Bartimaeus' just happens to be, ya know, actually blind. But he is such an example to us. And to those in his own time as well.

Just a week before this encounter, Saint James and Saint John had cornered Jesus and had a pretty bold request for him: “Teacher we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” In contrast, Bartimaeus just calls out again and again for Jesus to have pity on him. In both instances, Jesus asks in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?”

The disciples ask Jesus for glory. They want to be rewarded with places of honor in Heaven. But Bartimaeus has a different request: "Master, I want to see.”

It's all any of us should ask, really . . . that we might SEE. That we could see others as Jesus sees them. That we might see ourselves as Jesus sees us. That we would see our lives with the vision that Jesus has for us. And Jesus wants to grant us our request. All we have to do is take courage, like Bartimaeus did, and ask.

It's all any of us should ask, really . . . that we might SEE.Click to tweet

All we have to do is take courage, like Bartimaeus did, and ask.

Kendra Tierney lives in Los Angeles, CA where her interests include blogging, homeschooling, looking after her eight children, and suburban homesteading . . . in case of zombies. You can find out more about her here.