{"id":5839,"date":"2012-11-15T17:09:45","date_gmt":"2012-11-15T22:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/?p=5839"},"modified":"2012-11-15T17:19:07","modified_gmt":"2012-11-15T22:19:07","slug":"reach-out-your-hand-and-see-what-it-gets-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/2012\/11\/reach-out-your-hand-and-see-what-it-gets-you.html","title":{"rendered":"“Reach out your hand, and see what it gets you”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Traditionally, as catechumens prepare for baptism in the Catholic Church, we hear three specific Gospel readings at the three Scrutiny Masses before reception of the Sacraments (John 4:1-42<\/a>, John 9:1-41<\/a>, and John 11:1-44<\/a>). \u00a0Because my parish does two cycles of RCIA per year, I ended up hearing the story of Bartimaeus, the blind man<\/a> as told in a different gospel. \u00a0On October 28th, the reading was from Mark 10:46-52 as follows<\/a>:<\/p>\n

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, \u201cJesus, son of David, have pity on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, \u201cSon of David, have pity on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus stopped and said, \u201cCall him.\u201d<\/p>\n

So they called the blind man, saying to him, \u201cTake courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.\u201d He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.<\/p>\n

Jesus said to him in reply, \u201cWhat do you want me to do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The blind man replied to him, \u201cMaster, I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus told him, \u201cGo your way; your faith has saved you.\u201d Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jesus doesn\u2019t meet the blind man where he sits; he asks Bartimaeus to walk to him. \u00a0Picture what that would be like; getting up and stumbling forward in pitch darkness, arms outstretched in front of you, until another hand takes yours. \u00a0That first moment of contact with Christ might have felt like when you don\u2019t realize you\u2019ve reached the bottom of a flight of stairs, and come into jarring contact sooner than you expected.<\/p>\n

When Bartimaeus reached Christ, he would have touched him with his hand, the eyes he had used in lieu of eyes his whole life. \u00a0So, at the moment of contact, before Christ restored his sight, he was already\u00a0perceiving\u00a0Christ directly, and then, grace upon grace, a veil fell away, and he was looking<\/em> at Him. \u00a0Jesus would be the first thing Bartimaeus saw, with no point of reference or comparison. \u00a0Presumably, for the rest of his life, everything else Bartimaeus saw was in some way interpreted in relation to that first vision.<\/p>\n

But what I found most affecting was the moments right before Bartimaeus opened his eyes. \u00a0Walking forward in anticipation and encountering someone who\u2019s already enough to overload the senses you\u2019ve got, before you can \u00a0ask for any others to be dazzled by.<\/p>\n

After Mass, I was reminded of one of the songs from Sondheim\u2019s\u00a0Anyone Can Whistle<\/em><\/a>. In \u201cSee What It Gets You<\/a>\u201d the straightlaced Nurse Fay Apple almost<\/em> entirely regrets having opened her heart to Dr. Hapgood. (The plot of the show is really<\/em> byzantine, so I\u2019m not summarizing any further than that). She sings:<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to crawl,
\nNow, run, lady!
\nHere\u2019s how to walk.
\nNow fly!
\nHere\u2019s how to feel-
\nHave fun, lady.
\nAnd a fond goodbye!
\nReach out your hand
\nAnd see what it gets you.
\nSee what it gets you.
\nSee what it gets you!
\nTrouble is, whatever it gets,
\nYou find
\nThat once you see, you can\u2019t stay blind.
\nWhat do I do now.
\nNow that my eyes are wide?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nurse Fay Apple has also recieved a world-expanding vision, and it muddles everything up for her. \u00a0Without his sight, Bartimaeus would have probably remained a beggar, enduring countless pains, but not the wrenching pain of becoming a disciple of Christ, falling in love, and then arriving at Calvary. \u00a0Even in her pain and frustration, Nurse Fay Apple can\u2019t reject what she now knows; she may resent the duties that have been laid upon her as she\u2019s grown, but she can\u2019t cast them off.<\/p>\n

By the end of the song, Nurse Fay Apple has answered her own question of what to do:<\/p>\n

And if I\u2019m not ready
\nAnd lightheaded,
\nI can\u2019t stand here dumb.
\nSo, ready or not, here-I hope-I come!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

T-3 days.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traditionally, as catechumens prepare for baptism in the Catholic Church, we hear three specific Gospel readings at the three Scrutiny Masses before reception of the Sacraments (John 4:1-42, John 9:1-41, and John 11:1-44). \u00a0Because my parish does two cycles of RCIA per year, I ended up hearing the story of Bartimaeus, the blind man as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":5842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conversion-2"],"yoast_head":"\n"Reach out your hand, and see what it gets you"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Traditionally, as catechumens prepare for baptism in the Catholic Church, we hear three specific Gospel readings at the three Scrutiny Masses before\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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