Proverbs of Solomon 23-25: My Son Give Me Your Heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.
The Gospel Reading for this Sunday January 28th Luke 18-35-43 leads us to Christ’s final journey through the Jordan Valley on His way to Jerusalem towards His ultimate mission to meet the Pharisees and Romans where He will be unjustly slandered by mouth, unrecognized as the Messiah by eyes, and physically crucified by contact. Of course, we know the good news of what is to occur to our savior after His tragic death, and how He will trample down death by His death opening the door for the Christian Orthodox to pick up our own cross and follow Him. This Gospel is one in line prior to the Triodion period, which prepares us for Great Lent where we endeavor towards the Bright Sadness of Christ crucified and Christ resurrected.
St Nikolai is accurate in depicting this Gospel as one that focuses on our senses as we see in reading this account of Blind Bartimaeus encountering the Lord as he walks through Jericho – the blind man being an Icon for us regarding our spiritual sight. Although unable to physically see, he can recognize the Lord as the source of his healing and salvation. While those who walked before Christ, those who were embarrassed by Blind Bartimaeus’ shouts to heal him, were more zealous in trying to silence him than help him. Followers who could physically see yet lacked the spiritual sight to recognize the Lord in their heart.
Furthermore, those who awaited Christ in Jerusalem, the Pharisees, as learned and versed in the scriptures as they were, were more apt to the academic discourse of the Law than the required humility and mercy needed to recognize the Living Lord.
Through this Gospel encounter we learn that our own spiritual blindness can also abound even with all the knowledge we work to obtain in reading books, esoteric debates, and senseless scrolling on the internet. Our hearts too full of everything other than what is needed to recognize Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if we’re to honestly ask ourselves in what condition do we find our spiritual sight if Christ was to approach us and say, what do you want Me to do for you, are we closer to Blind Bartimaeus or those who walked before Him in Jericho? Would we recognize Christ among the crowds?
St. Nikolai Velimirovic gives account of what Blind Bartimaeus’ spiritual sight was able to see: “his thirsty soul sensed that this Jesus, of whom he had heard so much about whom he had pondered, carried heaven on His Head, wisdom on His tongue, mercy in His heart, and healing in His hands.” Is this also our spiritual reality when we encounter the Lord?
As we advance toward the Triodion period, let us draw near to Christ and heed the Father’s words. St. Nikolai preaches that Christ’s Church is given to us to hone these senses and to learn how to see the Lord. Parish life is crucial, brothers and sisters, if we are to shed our worldly man and approach Him. Let this call embolden us to continue to support our parish priests and new missions.
Rev. Dn. Christopher Purdef
Just a $100 donation (more if you can) will provide needed support for Orthodox mission priests and mission parishes throughout the United States. Never has our nation needed the True Faith of Jesus Christ more than now, and it is up to us to bring it to them through local missions.
