“'Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.' He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man replied to him, 'Master, I want to see.'"
From the time we are children we learn that the measure of faith is the courage to keep trying. No matter how often we fail to live our faith fully, sin or turn away from God, the Christian learns to dust him or herself off and start walking faith's path again. Because God is always there to help us up, this terrible and terrifying challenge, though difficult, is possible. This simple lesson is important even for the experienced believer.
The blind man in today's Gospel is proof of this. Despite the fact that those around him tried to keep him quiet so as not to bother Jesus, the blind man kept shouting until Jesus responded. Refusing to be reduced to his blindness, he trusted that Jesus would help him if only he kept asking.
The lesson is clear. If we allow ourselves to lose courage or faith because we think we are beyond help or only bothering others, we will never do the right thing. Whether we are asking for ourselves or others does not matter. The demand of faith is that we keep asking God for help and trusting that God is near.
Today, be grateful for anyone who extended a hand to you when you were struggling.
What practices most help you persevere in faith?
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