Just as Jesus stopped upon hearing the cry of the blind beggar Bartimaeus who desired healing, so too will He attend to the cries of those in need today, Pope Leo XIV said at his June 11 General Audience.
Noting that healings were a central part of Jesus’ life, Pope Leo said, “I invite you to bring before the Heart of Christ your most painful and fragile parts, those places in your life where you feel stuck and blocked. Let us trustfully ask the Lord to listen to our cry, and to heal us!”
Bartimaeus’ story, recorded in Mark 10:46-52, underscores the importance of never giving up hope, the Pope said, “even when we feel lost.”
Bartimaeus is “dramatically alone” and living in a lowly state when he encounters Jesus in Jericho; he sits on the roadside rather than walking with the crowds following Jesus, and he needs help to be lifted back up, the Pope noted. But in verse 47, he cries out to Jesus, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!”
Bartimaeus’ persistence in calling out to Jesus teaches the importance of reaching out boldly from the heart to God, especially when situations appear to have no solution, the Pope said.
“[T]here is no cry that God does not hear, even when we are not aware we are addressing Him,” the Pontiff said.
Rather than going to Bartimaeus, Jesus stops and has Bartimaeus called over to Him, which “is the way to reactivate Bartimaus’ life: He spurs him to get up again, He trusts in his ability to walk,” Pope Leo said.
In order to respond to Jesus’ call, however, Bartimaeus must leave behind his cloak, which is something that, for a beggar, “is everything” – safety, protection, his home, Pope Leo said.
“[M]any times, it is precisely our apparent securities that stand in our way – what we have put on to defend ourselves and which instead prevent us from walking,” Pope Leo said. “To go to Jesus and let himself be healed, Bartimaeus must show himself to Him in all his vulnerability. This is the fundamental step in any journey of healing.”
By healing Bartimaeus, Jesus enables him to go wherever he wishes, which underscores that “Jesus heals us so that we can become free,” according to Pope Leo. Bartimaeus uses his freedom to follow Jesus.
“Dear brothers and sisters, let us trustfully bring our ailments before Jesus, and also those of our loved ones; let us bring the pain of those who feel lost and without a way out,” Pope Leo said. “Let us cry out for them too, and we will be certain that the Lord will hear us and stop.”
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