The story in our gospel today is a beautiful story and is what we could call a hinge story, its right in the middle of Marks gospel and everything changes after this story. It was a very real story, and we see this by the fact that the person was named and he was around for a long time after the healing. Mark highlights the spiritual significance of this story.
+      “As Jesus left Jericho…” Jericho for any biblical scholar is a symbolism of sin and dysfunction. The Israelites destroyed Jericho when they came to the Promised Land. When you visit the Holy Land today you see Jerusalem is up on a hill and Jericho is down is a lower area and you can travel that road and visit the old ruins of Jericho. As he entered the city there was a blind man, Bartimaeus, begging. This is a common scene in our large cities and towns. The fact that he was blind symbolises the people who live in the city of sin and don’t see the ways of God. He was a beggar; we are all beggars when it comes to our salvation. St. Mark invites us to identify ourselves with Bartimaeus.
+      “Lord have mercy on me”. At the beginning of Mass we always say: ‘Lord have mercy…’ Bartimaeus realises that he has to beg. Sometimes we think that we don’t need forgiveness. How many of us use the sacrament of confession to ask God for forgiveness? We think we don’t need forgiveness.
+      “Many tried to quieten him”, as he was an embarrassment. When you acknowledge your blindness and your incapacity to save yourself don’t expect support from others. We live in a culture that is very me centric – egocentric – and exalts the powerful and self-reliant person. No one likes a person who begs who recognises that he is incapable of doing something.
+      Despite this lack of support he persists. How many times do we see in the bible the call for perseverance in prayer? Don’t give up.
+      “Call him” He was called out of blindness, out of Jericho into a new fellowship, into a new friendship with Jesus, this new friendship and fellowship with Jesus is the Church. Bartimaeus throwing off his cloak, symbolism of leaving his old life, and entering this new life.
+      “What do you want?” Symbolism of Baptism here as, this is what priest asks the parents who bring their child for baptism. It is a personal choice and so is with the sacraments. The same applies when it comes to First Communion and Confirmation; it is a choice the parents are making, not because the child is in second class – or sixth class, but because he/she wants to be part of this new friendship this new fellowship which is the church and the parents are willing to support their child.
+      “I want to see”. He was called into fellowship and communion with Jesus, which is the church and he followed Jesus up to Jerusalem.