tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post1835242641180581406..comments2023-08-09T07:48:53.962-04:00Comments on Bear Witness to the Light: Jesus Asked Him: "What Do You Want Me To Do For You?Fr. John L. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167510362871783781noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-59001735206513591392009-10-26T09:21:14.287-04:002009-10-26T09:21:14.287-04:00Sarah, it is easy to visualize Bartimaeus calling ...Sarah, it is easy to visualize Bartimaeus calling out to the passers by "Brother, can you spare a dime?" (or a denarius), the coin of the realm at the time. And I appreciate the notion that as Jesus approached, the blind beggar's message morphed from "Can you spare a coin?" to "Have pity on me", as the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of his soul to the presence of the Savior. <br /><br />It is also significant, as you point out, that Jesus asked others to call Bartimaeus to him, and just as significant that, when called,Bartimaeus sprang up and came to Jesus all by himself. <br /><br />The "moral of the story": If we want to help others come to Jesus, we must first seek healing of our own wounds.Fr. John L. Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167510362871783781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-60731841636832160882009-10-26T05:41:48.144-04:002009-10-26T05:41:48.144-04:00When I try to visualize the scene, Bartimaeus is c...When I try to visualize the scene, Bartimaeus is calling to the passers by: can you spare me a denarius? He says the same phrase again and again, faster and faster as the passing crowd grows thicker the closer Jesus comes. "Can you spare me" then suddenly takes on a new meaning and the Holy Spirit opens his eyes inwardly to the presence of the Messiah: Jesus Son of David. He sees this truth better than all the sighted people in the crowd.<br />It's interesting that Jesus instructs someone else to call Bartimaeus to him. We should be ready for this kind of call.Sarah in the tenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13680566205364331756noreply@blogger.com