It seems to me that the final line of today's readings could be the whole focus of our reflection: "Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way."  The recovery of sight is a marvelous image of faith, and, so, like Bartimaeus, we will do well to keep praying for such healing: "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me."  We will also do well to listen to the voices of encouragement around us, as Bartimaeus did: "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

I am moved today by this clear presentation of the whole pattern of salvation: Jesus is always there for us, but it is often the faith community that calls us forth and encourages us to come to Jesus.  Then, in the encounter with Jesus, we are always asked by Him, "What do you want me to do for you?"  Recall that, in his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius always urges us to respond to that question.  The second (or  third) prelude in all the meditations or contemplations he proposes "is to ask God our Lord for what I want and desire."  So, right now, I need to ask myself as I continue this reflection, "What is it that I want Jesus to do for me today?"

Finally, see how it all ends, both for Bartimaeus and ourselves: we "follow Him on the way."  Disciples.  That's who we are, and that's what the Church is: a community of disciples.  In today's first reading, there are some powerful images to help us realize fully what that means.  I invite you to consider them: the pure spiritual milk that moves us from infancy to adulthood in our faith, that we may taste and see that the Lord is good.  To be living stones in the holy and spiritual dwelling place (the Holy Spirit) that makes us the Body of Christ, and helps us live out our Baptism when were ordained into the priesthood of Jesus Christ.  We are the Holy People of God, and it is our good works that glorify the living, true, and only God.  But that means we must conduct ourselves as strangers and sojourners and not buy into the false values and worldly desires that surround us.  For we belong to God.  That is our true vocation, our deep gladness, our eternal joy.