Reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B by the Council Moderator, Br. Karlo Cruz

We often hear the words, “Once awakened, we should not close our eyes again.”

Indeed, we often ask the Lord for the grace to see — to see the truth clearly so that we may not fall back into blindness by false ideologies or worldly distractions.

The readings for this Sunday resonate with themes of love, mercy, and compassion. In the First Reading, God reveals His fatherly love and mercy toward Israel, His children. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promises to bring His people back from exile and to heal their wounds, gathering them close once again. Jeremiah’s call to the people is a reminder of God’s desire to restore and forgive us, to open our eyes to His boundless goodness.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, we learn about our High Priest, Jesus, who understands our weaknesses with deep compassion. Jesus not only intercedes for us as our High Priest but also walks beside us as a friend who knows our struggles. In His time, priests stood as mediators, helping the faithful remain steadfast, even amid trials. The apostles and early disciples constantly remind us to turn to the Father, relying on His mercy to free us from the limitations of our earthly lives.

This brings us to the beauty of today’s Gospel, written by Saint Mark.

We encounter Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who yearns for healing and liberation. Desperate, he calls out to Jesus for mercy, undeterred by the crowd’s rebuke. Jesus hears him, calls him, and shows him compassion. Bartimaeus demonstrates great faith — a complete and unwavering trust in Jesus, believing that only He can bring him sight and restoration.

Bartimaeus represents our collective human situation — a deep yearning for healing and liberation from weakness, sickness, poverty, and sin. Our blindness may not always be physical but often involves anything that restricts us from realizing our potential and moving toward holiness.

To be free from these limitations, we must first acknowledge them humbly. It’s also notable that Bartimaeus didn’t come to believe because he was cured; rather, he was cured because he believed and humbly cried out for help. Jesus responded to this faith, saying, “Your faith has saved you.”

The Gospel leaves us with two challenges as we search for the truth:

1. To have a faith that fully trusts in Jesus, confident that He offers healing, love, and mercy.
2. To be like the disciples who encouraged Bartimaeus, urging him, “Take courage; get up, He is calling you.”

Let us, like Bartimaeus, go on our way, holding firm to what is true, and keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus as the source of all truth and the guide for our path. In a world filled with distractions and false promises, may we have the courage to follow Him, whose light brings us sight, whose love brings us healing, and whose mercy leads us to new life.