Call Him Here

A Reading from the Gospel according to Mark
  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.


  Before diving into the Gospel, I must first confess that as a true Italian, my mind is a spaghetti platter. For me, everything is or becomes connected to something else and I believe this is how the Lord most loves to unveil His truths to me. So, please, try to forgive me if you are easily overwhelmed with details and let's begin :)

  Lord knows in my life I have been each of the characters from this Gospel:

  The ones missing from the story. When I am not following Christ, or perhaps actively avoiding Him and entertaining the near occasion of sin or willingly walking into sin. When I'm off trying to live in my own self-sufficiency and missing out on miracles.

  The ones who sternly order Bartimaeus to be quiet. Perhaps they are the world, telling Christianity to keep itself in check- persecutors of the faithful believers, but maybe, they are also the voices inside of me. The ones of false humility that tell me, "Be quiet - other people have it worse than you - this is nothing, just chin up and bear it, after all the life of a Christian is going to have sufferings." The voices of self-doubt who say "You're not important, He's much too busy for you, let Him be," and more often than not the voice of fear "He only wants to take more from you….the suffering of love will leave you bare and alone". All of these voices are stern, harsh and never from the Lord Himself.

  Christ says "Call him here." 

  I once read something along the lines of, “What God can do with someone else He never does alone.” So there are the ones who respond to this command and gently encourage/guide Bartimaeus. "Take heart, He is calling you," standing in the gap between heaven and hell. They are the courage when I am fearful. The community who holds me accountable with gentleness and honesty. The ones who dedicate each day to love of God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The Church who lovingly corrects my fallen humanity. The sinner who keeps on striving.

  And Bartimaeus. Blind, but not from birth ("My teacher, let me see again"). A man who was unashamed and unafraid to ask for mercy.

  Today's world and my own heart are so easily afraid. Afraid to speak up. Scared silly that we'll be dropped by people around us for saying or doing the wrong thing. I've seen the light and know His goodness but I forget. I fall to the same sins over and over. My broken femininity shames me for being too much and yet not enough at the same time. Many times I'm more willing to isolate in shame rather than to be humble and speak of my brokenness, blinded by sin into believing the lies that keep me down.

  But the ones following Christ say to each other and internally, "Take heart, He's calling you." Again, He calls and we begin again.

  In C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the ship and its crew sail in search of lost loved ones. They head for an island where dreams come true, but to their dismay, they are trapped in darkness and find that these are not daydreams of happiness and light, but the dreams that make you never want to sleep again.

  Fearing for their lives, they turn about and try to escape, but no matter how long they sail, they remain in darkness.

  There is my self-sufficiency, seeking to improve my life by my own efforts alone. Not trusting that the Lord desires my happiness. Falsely assuming it's opposed to holiness or that to love is only to suffer more. I find myself blinded by sin, unable to decipher the truth in it's darkness and desperately trying to do so. How come it takes me so long to realize life will always give me more than I can handle. And the Lord allows it so I can know how little I am in control of and how much He wants to provide for me if only I would ask.

  On the Dawn Treader, a whispered prayer escapes the lips of Lucy. Shortly after, a speck of light begins to break, and a bird circles the mast and leads them toward safety. Here Lewis writes:

  “But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, ‘Courage, dear heart,’....In a few moments the darkness turned into a grayness ahead, and then, almost before they dared to begin hoping, they had shot out into the sunlight and were in the warm, blue world again. And all at once everybody realised that there was nothing to be afraid of and never had been.”

  So much of the fear and hopelessness in my heart are manufactured by lies of the enemy. What Bartimaeus knew, I am still learning. Mercy is our hope. It is our light in darkness, and only with mercy can we break through our blindness and see God's face. All the things that keep us from Love Himself feel so real and big and scary, but when we cry out for mercy and receive our sight again - then we see that all of these big, scary anxieties are really nothing to worry about. The Lord holds the details of my life with such care and attentiveness. He looks on me with such gentleness. His power shone through my weakness. And when I respond to His call, others can be encouraged and take heart themselves to blindly cry out for His healing.

  No one I've ever known says it better than Pope St. John Paul II (The Great). His whole life was pure hope. He knew better than anyone that the enemy is after our souls with suffering and destruction and death. Whether or not you accept and share the love of God these horrors will chase you. He knew. The life focused on eternity, unashamed to cry for mercy - that life is filled with meaning and love. No suffering or horror can take it away, but I will step aside now and encourage you as he did, to take heart, have courage, and be not afraid.

  "Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ's power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows "what is in man". He alone knows it.

  So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life."

  Let us cry with Bartimaeus and invite the Lord to speak His mercy into our lives so that we may see again.

SOURCES/RECOMMENDATIONS:
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1978/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19781022_inizio-pontificato.html  


About the Author: Shellie is a heaven striving, hot chocolate sippin’, neat freak cleaning, rock climbing (wannabe) mess of a middle child. In her life she has found that being a logical/practical thinker does not always lead to grand adventures and great stories, but through the grace of God, she has learned to notice the small things and become lost in wonder gazing at His creation. 
What are the top three songs on your playlist? “Side by Side” by Jon Foreman, “Dear Wormwood” by The Oh Hellos and “Sweet Ever After” by Ellie Holcomb
What book are you reading right now? “Walking with Mary” by Dr. Edward Sri
What is your favorite smell? Right before it rains and the world gets cool/slightly breezy… that smell is perfect. 
What food would you eat every day for the rest of your life? Chips and Guac (Full stop)


Learn More About Red Stick Catholics


The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week.