Today, we contemplate the blind man in the Gospel, Bartimaeus, «sitting by the roadside», at the gates of Jericho. Jesus the Nazarene passed that way. It is the road that leads to Jerusalem, where the Paschal Event will take place for us.

On that road, the Lord meets Bartimaeus, who has lost his sight. Their paths cross, they become a single path. The blind man calls out, full of faith «Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!». This prayer moved the heart of Jesus, who stopped and had him called over. The decisive moment was the direct, personal encounter between the Lord and that suffering man. They found each other face to face: God with his desire to heal and the man with his desire to be healed; two freedoms, two converging desires.

—«What do you want me to do for you?». God knows the answer, but asks; he wants the man to speak. He wants the man to stand up, to find the courage to ask for what is needed for his dignity.