From: Luke 18:35-43
The Cure of the Blind Man of Jericho
[35] As He (Jesus) drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the
roadside begging; [36] and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired
what this meant. [37] They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing
by." [38] And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" [39]
And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but
he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" [40] And
Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to Him; and when he came
near, He asked him, [41] "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said,
"Lord, let me receive my sight." [42] And Jesus said to him, "Receive
your sight; your faith has made you well." [43] And immediately he
received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the
people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Commentary:
35-43. The blind man of Jericho is quick to use the opportunity
presented by Christ's presence. We should not neglect the Lord's
graces, for we do not know whether He will offer us them again. St.
Augustine described very succinctly the urgency with which we should
respond to God's gift, to His passing us on the road: "`Timeo Jesum
praetereuntem et non redeuntem': I fear Jesus may pass by and not come
back." For, at least on some occasion, in some way, Jesus passes close
to everyone.
The blind man of Jericho acclaims Jesus as the Messiah--he gives Him
the messianic title of Son of David--and asks Him to meet his need, to
make him see. His is an active faith; he shouts out, he persists,
despite the people getting in his way. And he manages to get Jesus to
hear him and call him. God wanted this episode to be recorded in the
Gospel, to teach us how we should believe and how we should pray--with
conviction, with urgency, with constancy, in spite of the obstacles,
with simplicity, until we manage to get Jesus to listen to us.
"Lord, let me receive my sight": this simple ejaculatory prayer should
be often on our lips, flowing from the depths of our heart. It is a
very good prayer to use in moments of doubt and vacillation, when we
cannot understand the reason behind God's plans, when the horizon of
our commitment becomes clouded. It is even a good prayer for people
who are sincerely trying to find God but who do not yet have the great
gift of faith.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.