may 2005

Tiny Moth/Butterfly

May 26,2005

Healing Mk 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out 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." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
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." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you.".Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
There were some who told the blind man to be silent, and he then cried out even more. The man lept up when he knew that Jesus had called him. This story is a reminder that I need to be persistent in calling out to the Lord in my needs. My belief that the Lord will heal me will be a part of the way to healing. The man did not leave when healed of his blindness immediately but followed Jesus. I know that faith gives sight. I think it is important for me to remember that the healing sight calls us to stay on the path with Jesus, not to receive a gift and then go off on a different path.
Chapter 7: On Humility
Holy Scripture, brethren, cries out to us, saying,"Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled,and he who humbles himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:11).In saying this it shows usthat all exaltation is a kind of pride,against which the Prophet proves himself to be on guard when he says,"Lord, my heart is not exalted,nor are mine eyes lifted up;neither have I walked in great matters,nor in wonders above me."But how has he acted?"Rather have I been of humble mindthan exalting myself;as a weaned child on its mother's breast,so You solace my soul" (Ps. 130:1-2).
Hence, brethren,if we wish to reach the very highest point of humilityand to arrive speedily at that heavenly exaltationto which ascent is made through the humility of this present life,we mustby our ascending actionserect the ladder Jacob saw in his dream,on which Angels appeared to him descending and ascending.By that descent and ascentwe must surely understand nothing else than this,that we descend by self-exaltation and ascend by humility.And the ladder thus set up is our life in the would,which the Lord raises up to heaven if our heart is humbled.For we call our body and soul the sides of the ladder,and into these sides our divine vocation has insertedthe different steps of humility and discipline we must climb.
The image of the ladder of Jacob as the ladder of humility is one of my favorite parts of the Rule of St Benedict. I am closer to heaven with every step of humility and closer to earth with our self promotion and pride. I think the ladder is great because in life I am constantly going up and down on the living out of these teachings. Humility, the total gift to God of what is God's already, self is a lifelong process.