Today the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the consolation that will come the way of the people of God. He said, though the people of the Lord were taken away in tears, they would return with laughter and full of smiles when the Lord delivers them from oppression and bondage, for it would be like a dream. It was a long time ago that Jeremiah the prophet made this known to the people of Israel in captivity. Yet, as we all know, our own present situation is not different. In this present age, all those who strive to live and do the will of God also live in bondage. We live in captivity in our own land and country. We are told not to mention God anymore. We are mocked at and scorned as if it is a mortal sin to worship God. Some of us are sometimes tempted to go along with the anti-church/anti-God hoards who propound false theories of human happiness.

For those among us that stand firm in our faith, we live in bondage to systemic oppression from the rest of society that deceives itself that happiness, a fulfilled life and self - esteem can be found purely in material wealth: a society that believes happiness and joy emanate from human vanity (Conceit/ delusional self-importance).

As a result, we go crying out to God, imploring Him to let something mighty happen for wayward people to see and depart from their mischievous ways and deeds.

In all this, God seems mute. The prophet however noted that God is attentive to the cry of His people; indeed, He is closer to his people and will not let them suffer shame and indignation forever. He will come to set His people free. And since God comes to rescue His people, we must shout for joy and exult, for that which the Lord God says He will do, He will not fail to carry out. He does this because He is a compassionate God who does not take delight in the suffering of His people

This text seeks to bring consolation to a disconsolate people and reminds us that God is mindful of our sufferings and struggles in this life and He will reward every effort we make to abide by His ways – the way of life. So we stand in need of His help to keep His commands, so that we may merit His promise.

To assure us that He can never forget His people, God sent us His own Son Jesus Christ to be our singular High Priest. Therefore the 2^nd reading points out that for our sake Christ has to put on the lowliness of human nature to feel our weakness and limitations. By doing so he experienced our weakness and is therefore able to sympathize with the ignorant and the errant; faithfully entreating God’s mercy for them and patiently bringing their burden of sin to the mercy seat of God in exchange for forgiveness, mercy and grace.

It is this mercy and the compassion of God that we encountered in the gospel with regard to the episode with Bartimaeus – the blind beggar.

When he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth, he called out to Jesus at the top of his voice. The people tried to discourage him. But the more they tried to silence him, the louder he called out.

Jesus stopped and asked the people to call him. When Jesus asked him what he wanted, his simple answer was, “master, let me see again.”

There are a few lessons we can learn from Bartimaeus. He refused to let the crowd smother his voice. So he cried out the louder as he was being scolded. His courage and perseverance are the type every Christian must have.

He knew what he wanted and asked for it. And this goes to fulfill Jesus’s teaching in Mt 7 when He said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you find; knock and the door will be open to you…”

He asked and he received. When we ask we shall always receive.

But as we gather to worship today, do we really know what we want and are we sincere in asking for the most important aspect of our life? Mercy, compassion and grace from God.

St. James in his letter observed that when we ask and we do not receive, it is because we ask for the wrong things that will do us no good.

Like Bartimaeus, if we ask for what we really need, we shall certainly receive.