Sunday, Oct. 27, is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52.

The story of Bartimaeus is also our story.

We, too, must let the Lord heal our blindness and give us sight.

Let’s look at this Gospel in six stages.

The text says, “As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the roadside begging.”

Bartimaeus is both blind and poor.

But although he is physically blind, he is not spiritually blind. Being spiritually aware — in touch with our neediness — is an important spiritual insight that many lack.

Some people feel self-satisfied, unaware of who they really are before God (Revelation 3:17).

“On being told it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.’”

Note the subtle but important transition here: Up until this point, Bartimaeus has been calling upon anyone passing by for help. But no mere passerby, nor in fact anyone in this world, can ultimately help him with his real problem.

It is the same with us.

Though we may turn to science, medicine, philosophy, economics or politics, none of these can really help us with eternal realities.

Then the text says, “And they rebuked him, telling him to be silent. Yet he kept calling 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.’”

Those of us who seek to put our trust in the Lord and call on him will often experience rebuke, hostility and ridicule from the world.

Bartimaeus ignores all of this — and so should we.

What happens next? “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” Bartimaeus’ cloak is probably the most valuable thing he owns.

In fact, so critical was the cloak that Scripture forbade taking one as collateral for a loan:

“If a man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it” (Deuteronomy 24:12-13).

What about us?

What are we willing to leave behind to find Christ?

After this, the text explains, “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!’”

Being healed takes courage. Most of us seek relief, but true healing takes courage because it brings about change and makes new demands of us.

If the blind man is healed, it will no longer be acceptable for him to sit and beg; more will be expected of him, as his life will be irrevocably changed.

The Lord waits … and only when our “Yes” becomes definitive does he go to work.

What is next for Bartimaeus?

“Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.”

You see (pardon the pun), faith is more than an offer of relief. True faith instills real change: change in direction and change in the way we walk.

May we be like Bartimaeus.