NOTES for Mar 10:46-52

Hearing the blind man's cry, “Have mercy on me,” Jesus responded at once and entered into conversation with him. But the healing did not happen immediately. Before working His miracle, He asked Bartimaeus what he actually wanted, what this mercy was to consist in. The blind man immediately replied, “Let me see.” Then he received not only ordinary sight, but also the certainty that Christ stood before him. It is no accident that “he followed Jesus along the road.”

Sometimes the Lord waits for us to recognize our problem ourselves and put into words exactly what we cannot overcome without His miracle. Is this not one aspect of the sacrament of confession? Until we recognize our sin and speak it aloud in the presence of a priest, it cannot be forgiven us.