See Christ Everywhere

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

First Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12

Beloved:
Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk
so that through it you may grow into salvation,
for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you were no people
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy
but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners
to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles,
so that if they speak of you as evildoers,
they may observe your good works
and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 100:2, 3, 4, 5

R. (2c) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him;
bless his name.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Gospel: 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.

NAB

If the Lord asked you today “What do you want me to do for you?” there are quite a few things I could add to my list. As I listen to my children say their prayers, I find that what we ask of the Lord is a pretty good indication of where we are spiritually. Some requests are pretty simple “Lord, let me get a good night sleep," some are hungry prayers “I want I want I want . . . ”. Of course, we should strive for a prayer life that does more than bring a list of demands before our Father, but if you found yourself standing before Jesus and He asked, “what do you want me to do for you?” what would you say?

“Master, I want to see you.”

We know the Lord has the power to heal and Bartimaeus knew it too. Jesus’s reputation preceded Him and Bartimaeus, a beggar, a blind man on the road cried out for Jesus to take pity on him.

He didn’t say “Cure me, Lord” or “Give me sight” but rather:

“Master, I want to see you.”

We all have times in our daily struggles, where that simple prayer ‘take pity on me Lord—I want to see you” can apply.

I want to see Jesus in my day. I want to see Him in my husband, in my children, in those around me, and when I look in the mirror. Maybe if I was better able to see Jesus in my daily living it would be easier to live in constant prayer.

That my “Lord help me” would become “Thank you Jesus.” Thank you for letting me serve you when I serve others. Thank you Jesus for this hug. Thank you Jesus for this time to be in fellowship with those I love. Thank you Jesus for giving me the chance to grow in virtue through this struggle. Thank you Jesus. Maybe my prayers would be less about what I want, and more about giving thanks for what I have.

That my prayer would go from “Lord help me” to “Thank you Jesus.”Click to tweet

What would you say if Jesus asked you, “What do you want me to do for you?”

photo credit

MaryRuth Hackett is a full-time wife and mother doing her best to teach her four children to love God and country. You can find out more about her here.