The liturgy today speaks so much of both the contrast and the union of sorrow and joy in our lives! The prophet Jeremiah is God’s most beautiful mouthpiece when he says, “They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water”.
The Israelites had been taken captive and led into exile and felt like everything had been stripped from them: their land, their customs, even their beautiful temple where they could worship God. The prophet consoles them by saying that God sees their hearts, knows the deepest desires of their hearts, and will “restore their fortunes like the torrents in the southern desert”.
In the Moments
It is that God’s timing is not our timing. So when our hearts are aching, we feel like he is far away and hasn’t heard us. We know that the seed that dies in the furrow will bear fruit, but that process of dying isn’t fun. And we can be tempted in the moment to wonder if the fruit will ever come.
Again, the psalmist reminds us that “those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing”. How much we have to cling to the words of Jesus and scripture in the moments of pain.
Poverty in different ways
Blind Bartimaeus too is a great example for us. He hears Jesus coming and begins crying out to him, over and over, despite the rebukes of those around him. He feels his absolute poverty and limitation but knows his savior is at hand.
We may experience our poverty in different ways. We may not be physically blind, but we may be feeling like our securities have been stripped away, or that we have lost someone (or a relationship) that we loved so much. Or, that our interior sight (faith) is being tested.
Once again, the Lord, now in the flesh, approaches his people in the person of Bartimaeus and says “Call him”. Those around him say, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you”. Can you imagine hearing those words; especially when you can’t see?!
Hear those words spoken to you in the depths of your soul. Let them dispel the lies the devil wants to whisper to your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you that courage to stand up and run towards the Lord. He is the “brook of water” spoken about by Jeremiah. His pierced heart, from which flowed blood and water, is the fountain to which we must run to quench our thirst. This is our joy amidst our pain – that we have such a savior!
Jesus, when you ask me what it is I want you to do for me, may I answer that I want to see you – to see you and experience joy amidst the pain!
