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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

It may be because of self-love or shyness and shame. It may be because of this widespread individualism and the lack of reflection in which we live or because of entrenched situations that lock us in on ourselves. The reality is that many people find it extremely difficult to allow themselves to be helped. It is certainly not an easy task to recognize what is happening to us and to discern what we need and who can help us. Nor is it easy, even when things are more or less clear, to overcome human respect and the different reasons that can block us, in order to find the right moment and the right person to whom to open our heart.
 
That is why the story told to us in the Gospel this Sunday can be inspiring: Bartimaeus, a blind man who was able to meet Jesus, because he did everything in his power to allow himself to be helped. He did not stop shouting and asking for compassion, despite what others might say about him; he did not cling to the things he had, but
rather he left his cloak on the ground to jump in front of the one who could give him what he needed.
 
Bartimaeus' passionate reaction invites each of us to think about whether we really feel, like him, the need to meet Jesus; whether it has not happened to us that, in the midst of so many things, we live comfortable, accustomed to our defects and we have stopped approaching God to experience his forgiveness and his peace; whether it is not true that we live so fast and so busy that we have neglected those spaces of serenity and encounter that heal and regenerate from within. Jesus continues to make himself available to us in our lives and asks us to be willing to allow ourselves to be helped, welcomed, forgiven.
 
Let us not tire of recognizing our needs with lucidity; of praying with confidence and humility from our concerns; of sincerely welcoming the help of others and approaching the forgiveness of the good God who heals us from within and gives us strength to continue walking. Happy Sunday! 

 

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