BE WHO YOU ARE!
As I reflected on today’s readings, the words that came to my mind were, “Be Who You Are.” In the Gospel was the encounter between Jesus and the named blind beggar “Bartimaeus.” Bartimaeus was treated poorly and inhumanely by his people. However, he did not allow his situation and personal struggle to prevent him from accomplishing his heart’s desire – to gain his eyesight. Bartimaeus remained committed to seeking help and healing from Jesus, who was passing by. Even the loud voices of the crowd who wanted him to be ‘silent’ could not stop him.
When Jesus reached the road where Bartimaeus was, Bartimaeus cried out for mercy and help. “Son of David, have pity on me!” Have you ever been told to be quiet when you want to speak or want your voice to be heard? Have you told someone to be silent when he or she wanted to be heard?
Looking at the events that ensued, it was not God’s will for Bartimaeus to be “silent” at that time. “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you,” says Jesus. God wants to hear from him. Though he is blind, he still can speak. So, he mustered his courage and shouted for mercy. It wasn’t in Bartimaeus’s DNA to be silent at that moment. He remained faithful to his vocation, desire, hope, and dream. He cried out for help.
Jesus took notice of his faith and healed him. “Have sight; your faith has saved you,” Jesus said to Bartimaeus. This is an important lesson for each one of us. In our journey of faith, don’t feel bad, especially if the other people in your life aren’t quite on the same wave. This is a wonderful thing! Because your truth may not be someone else’s truth.
The message of “Be Who You Are” resounds in the first reading, in the revelation of John to the Church in Ephesus, one of the seven churches that received messages from the Lord.
The message for the Church in Ephesus is: “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. These were words of encouragements and acknowledgments.”
Then came words of warning and call for true repentance: “Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
The Lord tells the Church in Ephesus, “Be Who You Are.” One wonders why and how the Church in Ephesus lost the love they had at first. Why did they fall from grace? The Lord asked them to “repent” and “return” to who they were at first. They were to be the beacon of light and hope. “Turn back to me with your whole heart.”
Dear friends, when we find ourselves on the wrong side of things, may we have the courage and grace to “Repent and Return” to the best version of ourselves. May we never allow distractions in our spiritual life and journey. May we never lose focus on where we are going and why we are here on earth.
Like Bartimaeus, may we remain vigilant and attentive to who we follow- Jesus. May we reach out to Jesus for strength, mercy, and healing. May we never allow the ungodly voices of the world to overpower us. As we know, we are to carry our crosses daily to follow Christ, and the challenges we meet each day can either beat us down or make us stronger. Let us take the way of Bartimaeus and move with greater trust in the mercy of God.
Have a blessed week
