Homily for Monday of the 33rd Week of the Year

In the story of healing that we just heard in our Gospel passage, there is something appealing about the blind man, especially in his perseverance in prayer. When he prayed aloud, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me,” the people around Jesus admonished him and told him to be still, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!” He was not discouraged by other people’s intolerance; he showed us how to be persevering in our prayer.

 

The blind man’s prayer was rooted in his need to see with his physical eyes once again. Our most genuine prayers to the LORD are motivated by needs found in the depths of our hearts and souls. By voicing those needs to God, we beg Him to respond to our requests, just as Jesus responded to the request of the blind man.

 

The blind man did not stop praying after his sight was restored but his prayer did change. After his healing, he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. His prayer was transformed from a prayer of petition to a prayer of praise.

 

We should note that the prayer of praise may not come to us as naturally or as readily as the prayer of petition but all of us have something for which we should be thankful to God. The blind man teaches us to be mindful of this kind of prayer, too, in response to how the LORD has blessed and continues to bless us in our lives. +