30^th Sunday, 10-24-21
St. Theodore Catholic Church
For the past few weeks we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Mark.  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, his passion and the Cross.
Today he meets Bartimaeus, the blind beggar.  Actually, Jesus has met blind people on his entire journey to Jerusalem.  Three weeks ago he met the Pharisees who were blind to their own sins, pride, and self-righteousness.  Two weeks ago he met the rich young man who was blinded by his possessions and the invitation to follow Jesus.  Last week we saw Jesus’ apostles, James and John who were blind in their desire to have places of honor, sitting at Jesus’ right and left in the kingdom.
Bartimaeus is really the only person with sight.  He is the only one who saw Jesus as the Messiah.  When he calls out to Jesus, “Son of David,” he is using a title for the coming Savior.  He alone has spiritual sight while all the others are blind.
Jesus continues to tell the people of their blindness, but they refuse to understand.
Like the time Pierre decided to buy a horse and knew that Boudreaux was selling horses.  When he arrived Boudreaux told him he only had one horse left, but said it didn’t look too good.  Pierre examines the horse and says, “This horse is beautiful, strong legs, good back, nice teeth and lovely color, I’ll buy it.”  Again Boudreaux said, “This horse don’t look too good.”  Pierre insisted, buys the horse, and loads it in his trailer.  As he is driving off Boudreaux yells, “remember, that horse don’t look too good.” 
Arriving home Pierre saddles the horse and yells, “gitty up.”  The horse takes off and runs right into the side of the barn.  Pierre gets up off the ground and on further examining the horse realizes the horse is blind.  He is so mad that he returns to Boudreaux complaining, “I can’t believe you sold me a blind horse!”  Boudreaux says, “That’s what I kept telling you, that horse don’t LOOK too good.”
That’s the problem with our world, it doesn’t look too good.  Our Lord continues to open our eyes but our world is too blind to its’ own beliefs.  Leaders who are blind to the polices they enact that are unjust and unfair.  People who are blind to the fact that what is inside a woman’s womb is really a baby, a person.  Businesses who are blind to their own profits and ignore the needs of those they are called to serve.  People who are blind to their own sins and addictions. Our society that is blind to what are real values, morals, and ethics.
Blindness is also about what we do have.  Sometimes we are blind to the blessings already present in our lives.
All in the Family was a popular TV comedy from 1971-1979.  The main characters were Archie Bunker who was a loud, opinionated man who criticized everyone and his wife Edith who was sweet and kind and somewhat simple.  The show ended with a spin off show of Archie’s place.  In the first episode, Edith has died.  Archie’s son-in-law convinces him that his two-story house is too big now that Edith has passed and Archie needs to move into a small apartment.  Archie reluctantly agrees. 
In this episode, Archie is walking through the now empty house one last time remembering all that he and Edith did during their time there.  He enters the empty bedroom and finds one of Edith’s slippers that must have fallen from the moving boxes.  He picks it up and begin to coarse it remembering Edith. Crying he says,
            “Edith, it wasn’t supposed to end this way.  I was supposed to go first.  Even though I kidded you about you going first, I really didn’t mean it.  That morning when you were lying in bed and I kept yelling at you to go down stairs and fix my breakfast, I didn’t know.  Edith, you had no right to leave me this way without giving me one last chance to say I love you.  I didn’t get to say I love you.” 
Sometimes we are blind not only to our faults but to our blessings.  We miss so much.
Sometimes I don’t look too good.  As I age, my eyesight begins to slowly fade.  I go regularly to get an eye exam and sometimes I need to increase my prescription to better see.  I come to Mass and to the Lord to check my spiritual eyesight and to let the Lord help me see better.
I don’t look too good at seeing all that God has given me.  I don’t look too good at how my crosses and sufferings can actually bring me closer to the Lord.  I don’t look too good that maybe God’s plan for me is better than my plans.  I don’t look too good at the loving hand of God leading me in this life.  I don’t look too good at the Lord, present in my life.
We come to church today, like Bartimaeus to ask, “Lord, I want to see.”  The Lord’s grace, amazing grace will heal us. 
            Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
Lord, I don’t look too good today, please let me see.  Then we will hear the Lord say to us what he said to Bartimaeus, “go your way, your faith has saved you.