Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday of the eighth week in ordinary time, 1 June 2023; memorial of Saint Justin, martyr

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak, in Labuan Bajo, Diocese of Ruteng, Indonesia. Sirach 42: 15-25; Rs psalm 33: 2-3.4-5.6-7.8-9; Mark 10: 46-52 MAY WE CAN SEE   The theme for our meditation today is: May We Can See. "The eyes of our bodies are windows to the world, while the eyes of our hearts are the doors to the way to heaven," it was the conclusion of the spiritual instruction given by a seminarian to the members of the acolyte in a particular meeting session. After hearing that, an acolyte asked a question. “This is unfair, because blind people cannot see the world. How can we justify that window is really something for them?"   That seminarian did not feel at a loss to be able to answer that question. With confidence he said, "The people who help the blind indeed have bigger and wider windows so that through them the blind can get to know the world just like normal people." Everyone who heard the seminarian's answer understood the matter and their session proceeded to another discussion.   If we follow the book of Sirach in today's first reading, that the sun and all the universe are truly the fruits of the work of God's power in our life, the eyes of normal people should be so lucky, while blind people are very unlucky. What evidently special about the words of Sirach is that all the fruits of God's work are basically complementary. In fact, there is no shortage of anything, because God had made everything complete for one to another.   In reality there are people who are blind, as in the Gospel account today about a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, but there are people around him who talked to him and who led him to Jesus. This picture should become very clear to guide us to a conviction that the small, poor, sick and neglected are not left by God without the care and help of others. All normal and healthy people actually have a responsibility to be a solution for others who are experiencing deprivation and various kinds of difficulty.   There is a particular sign that gives us an explanation about complementing each other in our lives, so that we remain convinced that God really made everything good and beautiful. People who have deficiencies in the eyes of the body, namely they are blind, remain special to God and fellow human beings because they have the eyes of their hearts that lead themselves to God. Bartimaeus opened his heart to God. All believers, and all of us who meditate on the Word of God today have eyes of hearts for God and also for our neighbors. With that eyes of our hearts, our faith grows to become a genuine faith.   We need to keep praying and trying to make the eyes of our hearts function properly and correctly, even though sometimes the eyes of our bodies are not functioning properly. In the end we can attain salvation through the eyes of our hearts.   Let's pray. In the name of the Father… O Jesus Christ, bless us so that we can see with our hearts all the glory of God that is in every moment of our lives. Glory to the Father ... In the name of the Father ...