But it did not end there. Once healed, Bartimaeus "received his sight and followed him on the way." (v. 52). Yes. His heart, too, began to see, and this went down all the way to his feet. Conversion of the person to the way of Jesus. The reward of blind faith!
Others were also healed by Jesus before this incident. But many of them simply went back to their old life again, as if nothing had happened. In fact, some of them must have been part of the crowd that ultimately led Jesus to his crucifixion.
Lord, in some ways, I still suffer from remnants of spiritual blindness. Like Bartimaeus, I too, want to see more fully with my eyes, my heart, my feet, so that I can follow you all the way. Yes. All the way to the cross. Help me; Lord.
To see more fully with my eyes … Lord, that I may feel your presence more constantly in the light of day as well as in the darkness of night; in sunshine as well as in rain; in the beauty and the bounty of creation all around me, and most of all, in every human face that I encounter from day to day.
To see more fully with my ears … Lord, that I may feel your presence more constantly in the whispering breeze; in the chirping of the birds up there as well as in the barking of dogs down here; in the sounds of airplanes as well as automobiles and trucks out there; in the laughter of children as well as the groans of the aged; and most of all, Lord, please heal me, that I may feel your presence constantly in the cry of the poor.
To see more fully with my heart … Lord, that I may feel your presence more constantly in every broken heart that comes to me for counseling; in every student of ours, hungering for wisdom and meaning in life; in every one of the youth that we are helping through school; in each and every family that we reaching out to, especially in Payatas, Montalban, and Calawis; and in all other individuals, couples, and families from all sectors of our struggling humanity.
To see more fully with my feet … Lord, that I may feel your presence more constantly in every decision I make; in every step I take; in every program I create or cooperate in; through my growing awareness of my aging body, medical dependence, having run the race. You have opened my eyes and my heart to the reality that BEING is equally meaningful as DOING. And even in this state of old age, I beg for the grace that I may continue to give you the "Magis", the MORE.
Right now, my personal social-advocacy work in my writings seem to remain ignored, unpopular, and fruitless. So be it, Lord. As long as I feel your presence in my heart, I will go on.
And so I lift up to you, Lord, many of our political, business, and industrial leaders who are suffering from spiritual blindness. Give them the grace of faith to want to see, as you did to Bartimaeus. The culture of corruption and male immorality is nationwide, and has blinded so many of our local and national leaders. In their deepest hearts, somehow I feel that they, too, want to see.
Open their eyes, Lord, as well as their hearts and feet. And someday, in your own time, we may as a nation begin to follow you, as Bartimaeus did.