The blind man cried out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” After being rebuked he only cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” At such persistence Jesus heard his cry and was moved to pity concerning him. Through this life giving encounter his sight came to be restored.
We must have the faith and persistence of this blind man in our gospel. His words were not just emptily spoken, but they were meant in the depths of his heart. When things did not go his way he did not allow himself to give up and stop. Rather, he continued to shout out to the Lord in the midst of his need for he had faith and hope.
At some point in time we all find ourself to be similar in nature to this blind man. We cry out and it may seem that our prayers are never heard. We say and do all the right things and yet it might seem that things never go our way. Some will use these moments to give into despair and to quit instead of persevering in their life of faith.
In the midst of such hardship we should keep our sight upon the Lord and His coming Passion. At the start of our gospel it was mentioned that the they shall “go up to Jerusalem.” From here His apostles were told, that he “shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon: and after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death.”
These verses point towards the coming Passion and what we will soon come face to face with during the Lenten season. When our prayers seem to not be heard and when our life is difficult we can turn towards the sorrowful Passion of our Lord and choose to be joined unto Him by continuing to cry out to Him in faith.
As the Lord would state to His disciples in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” In Lent many will come together to pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. In doing so they are reminded of the sorrowful Passion of our Lord and how through His Passion we have come to be redeemed.
As we continue to prepare the way for Lent and thus Easter we ought to take to prayer the ways in which we lack such faith and hope in the Lord. Ways in which we rebuke His cross instead of allowing ourself to be joined unto it. May this season bring forth within the depths of hearts such faith and hope.
In faith let us continue to cry out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me” for by His holy cross, we have come to be redeemed.
