In todayâs Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho. His destination was set toward the city that killed so many prophets and that would now also kill the very Son of God. Yet Jesus walked there with great resolve, knowing how his earthly days would end there. Yet even though entirely focussed on his destination, when a blind beggar cries out, âJesus, Son of David, have pity on me,â he stops. Others try to silence the man, but Jesus gives him his full attention. That single pause changes everything. The beggarâs prayer of petition âLet me see againâ turns into a prayer of praise that rippled through the whole crowd and still through to us two thousand years later.
Jesus teaches us that the journey matters as much as the destination. He never rushed past the present moment; he met grace wherever it appeared. We, too, can become so fixated on our goals (to get a new home, a promotion, any plans) that we miss the encounters God places along the way. The so-called interruptions of our day may actually be divine invitations. Jesus shows us how to live attentively: to stop, to listen, to respond. The road to Jerusalemâand to Heavenâis walked one merciful pause at a time.
Our anonymous panel titled The Healing of the Blind Man in Jericho, painted circa 1470, beautifully visualises todayâs Gospel reading set outside the city walls of Jericho. A clear path, beginning with us the viewer and leading directly into the city, guides our eyes between groups of beggars and the sick lining the roadside. Near the foreground, Jesus stands immediately before us, turning to perform today's miracle of healing the blind man, while another beggar has already been brought forward; others gather expectantly around Him. The city wall of Jericho looms in the background. What makes this panel particularly striking is how it draws us into the âon-the-wayâ nature of the miracle. The road is busy, the afflicted are visible, and yet the decisive moment unfolds in the encounter with Christ.
