Homily for Thursday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time

At the beginning of our Gospel story, the blind man is too far from Jesus to talk with Him. When he shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me,” the followers of Jesus reprimand the man and tell him to keep quiet.

Jesus, on the other hand, rebuked those who hindered others from believing in Him. He held them accountable for stopping children from being brought to receive His blessing. He disregarded those who tried to stop blind Bartimaeus from approaching Him. Instead of closing doors in people's faces, He wants us to open the kingdom of heaven to others. We are meant to guide each other to the Lord, reveal the Lord to each other, and, in doing so, support each other on our journey towards God.

Well-meaning individuals obstructed this man's path to Jesus. Our calling is to do the opposite—to assist others in encountering Him and in walking with Him.