This week past I celebrated a funeral Mass for a dear, older friend, Sister Theresa McQueeney, S.N.D., a sister of Notre Dame de Namur. I have mentioned her in homilies as the most intelligent person I have ever met. And I don’t just mean her education comprised of multiple bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the likes of universities such as Emmanuel College, Assumption College, l’Ecole Normale in Belgium and l’Universite’ Laval, Que’bec, to Georgetown, Oxford University and N.D. Seishin University in Japan. The meaning I am talking about vis-à-vis Sister Theresa is the deeper meaning of her education: what she did with her knowledge and how she put it to the service of our Lord.

The “double or deeper” meaning of today’s Gospel applies to the message of this sacred scripture this weekend also: what blindness was cured, and who was or is blind?

The story we hear in Mark’s Gospel is of a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, a seemingly annoying beggar who is inserting himself into the crowd following Jesus and seeking to overcome the noise of the crowd and gain Jesus’ attention. As the crowd attempts to shut him up, Jesus approaches Bartimaeus and gentle asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Master, I want to see,” says Bartimaeus. Jesus replies, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

Like all gospel accounts, we are usually left with more questions than answers. Today’s gospel is no different. The “deeper or double” meaning is this: Who is it that is really blind—Bartimaeus the beggar, the crowd first following Jesus and blocking the blind man’s attempts to reach out to Jesus,but then who encourage him to rise and meet the Lord; and, what kind of sight is restored—just the physical sight?

The clue is hidden in the answer Jesus gives to Bartimaeus: “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Faith is the saving grace, if you will. Bartimaeus saw Jesus for who He really was—the crowd didn’t—but the blind man begging in the streets knew the true identity of Jesus.

Sacred Scripture tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is open for the “little people,” the blind, the poor, the frail, the week, the righteous and the destitute (listen to the Beatitudes). Not the wealthy or powerful political leaders and rule makers, not the kingmakers of the world; but it is in their “littleness” that the poor, weak and the righteous are able to see Jesus and His way with “eyes of faith” as St. Paul tells us, and these “eyes of faith” will give us the sight we need to find our way to the path that leads to heaven. So we ask ourselves today: Who is blind? Who needs to be cured? Who should call out to Christ for healing? Happy and blessed thinking!