“Let Me See Again” - Sch. Rajeev Ranjan “My teacher let me see again”, Bartimaeus (Mk: 10:51) When I reflect on this particular statement, my whole body vibrates. I see my whole life as I utter this statement. In fact, it is not a mere statement but a beautiful prayer and a strong desire to have vision of life again. When Bartimaeus asks Jesus to let him see again, he does not ask just for physical healing but something more than that and that is his inner being. Therefore, “Let me see again” can be of different aspects. When Bartimaeus prayed to Jesus “Let me see again” it seems he is not blind by birth. He has seen the world before he became blind. Perhaps he might have seen it in diverse angle. Now he is asking the Lord to let him see the same world with different perception, which is pleasing in sight of God. Thus, Bartimaeus invites each one of us to plead the Lord, “Let me see again.” When I apply this prayer, “My Lord let me see again, I need to see my attitude towards three major aspects of my religious life. They are as follows: (i) My vocation (ii) My mission (iii) My community Let us pray over each of these aspects. (i) My Vocation: My Saviour let me see my vocation whether I am strong enough to deny myself, take up the cross and follow you alone. When I talk about the religious vocation, I think of the discipleship. Jesus called only twelve, for He knew their sustainablity of their vocation. Similarly, He knows mine as well. Jesus challenges me and helps me to see my Jesuit vocation again. In the Bible read, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Lk 9:57-58). Do I follow the homeless Lord? I need to see it again. To another Jesus said, “Follow me”, But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(Lk 9:59-60). Have I surrendered all my attachments to Jesus to follow him? I need to see it again. Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”(Lk 9:61-62). Do I turn back once I decide to follow the Lord? I need to see it again. Moreover, the world itself has become a challenge for my vocation. As it has become a consumeristic and gadgetry world, I need to see my vocation again how far I am strong in my vocation among this hotch-potch. As Jesus said, “NO one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not serve God and wealth.” (Mt 6:24). We cannot serve God and the world at a time. We have to forego one among them. Thus, religious vocation is not something that serves two goals .It is a gift of God and for God alone. It becomes stable and strong through constant prayer and introspection. Therefore, my prayer to the Lord is, my Lord, let me see my attitude towards my Jesuit vocation again so that I may follow you more closely. (ii) My Mission: The prayer, “My Lord, let me see again”, helps me to examine my attitude towards my mission. Have I a positive attitude towards my mission which is entrusted to me? Am I committed to the work which is given to me? There is a story. It goes like this; there were two men. One day they went for an outing. They saw a huge stone on the way. One of them said, “This stone is uselessly lying here. Why don’t we break it into pieces? But he was not committed to his word. Hence the stone remained intact. The other said, “No, it is of high value. I can make use of it. I can carve a beautiful statue out of it.” He was a sculpture. From the next day ownwards he started chiseling the stone. One day, he carved a beautiful statue which became a famous tourist spot. Here, there are two persons seeing the same stone with two different views. I need to categorize myself in the light of these two persons. Two men see the same wood with two different attitudes. One sees it as firewood. The other sees as a beautiful alter of God. What is my attitude towards my mission? Is it positive? If I fail in my mission (study), it means I am not faithful to my vocation, because my mission is the reflection of my vocation. Hence I need to see my attitude towards my mission again. My prayer to the Lord is, my Lord let me see my attitude towards my mission again to serve you alone. (iii) My community: when I reflect upon the prayer, “My Lord let me see again”, helps me to check my attitude towards my fellow companions whom I stay with. My community is the place where I am strengthened in my vocation and assisted in my mission. For this I need to have a positive attitude towards the members of my community. In the Old Testament we see the attitude of people towards Abram. Abram means father but he had no child. People saw him as a barren father. But in the sight of God he was a father of nations. Thus God said to Abram, “No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. (Gen: 17:5-6).My Lord, grant me the grace to see my companions again with positive attitude. The people of Bethlehem had different attitude towards David. They considered him as a weak shepherd. But God had different attitude. He saw David as the king of Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward (1 Sam 16:12-13). I need to be aware of my thoughts and feelings about my companions. My Lord let me see my attitude again. In the New Testament we see the attitude of the pharisses towards Mathew. They saw him as a sinner. But Jesus had different feeling about him. He saw him as his disciple and apostle. As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man called Mathew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. (Mt 9:9). Do I understand my companions as they are? My Lord Jesus, let me see my companions again.” In the parable of the Prodigal son, we see his attitude towards his father. In the state of pre- conversion, he thought about his father as a stingy, very strict, not loving and not giving freedom. Hence he departs from his father. But in post- conversion, he sees his attitude again. At this time he sees his father as a loving father, generous father and caring father. Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.”(Lk 15:11). But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! (Lk: 15:17). Do I have a positive attitude towards my superiors? My Lord let me see my attitude towards my superiors again. As I reflect on this prayer, I find my vocation; my mission and my community go hand in hand. One connot stand without the other. Therefore they are interconnected and interdependent with one another. To sustain in all these three aspects I need to pray constantly. This is all the more persistant as we celebrate the Year of Faith. It is the faith which keeps me alive in my vocation, my mission and my community. I need to see my vocation, my mission and my community through faith. Finally my prayer to the Lord is “My Lord, let me see my vocation, my mission and my “Let Me See Again” - Sch. Rajeev Ranjan “My teacher let me see again”, Bartimaeus (Mk: 10:51) When I reflect on this particular statement, my whole body vibrates. I see my whole life as I utter this statement. In fact, it is not a mere statement but a beautiful prayer and a strong desire to have vision of life again. When Bartimaeus asks Jesus to let him see again, he does not ask just for physical healing but something more than that and that is his inner being. Therefore, “Let me see again” can be of different aspects. When Bartimaeus prayed to Jesus “Let me see again” it seems he is not blind by birth. He has seen the world before he became blind. Perhaps he might have seen it in diverse angle. Now he is asking the Lord to let him see the same world with different perception, which is pleasing in sight of God. Thus, Bartimaeus invites each one of us to plead the Lord, “Let me see again.” When I apply this prayer, “My Lord let me see again, I need to see my attitude towards three major aspects of my religious life. They are as follows: (i) My vocation (ii) My mission (iii) My community Let us pray over each of these aspects. (i) My Vocation: My Saviour let me see my vocation whether I am strong enough to deny myself, take up the cross and follow you alone. When I talk about the religious vocation, I think of the discipleship. Jesus called only twelve, for He knew their sustainablity of their vocation. Similarly, He knows mine as well. Jesus challenges me and helps me to see my Jesuit vocation again. In the Bible read, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Lk 9:57-58). Do I follow the homeless Lord? I need to see it again. To another Jesus said, “Follow me”, But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”(Lk 9:59-60). Have I surrendered all my attachments to Jesus to follow him? I need to see it again. Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”(Lk 9:61-62). Do I turn back once I decide to follow the Lord? I need to see it again. Moreover, the world itself has become a challenge for my vocation. As it has become a consumeristic and gadgetry world, I need to see my vocation again how far I am strong in my vocation among this hotch-potch. As Jesus said, “NO one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not serve God and wealth.” (Mt 6:24). We cannot serve God and the world at a time. We have to forego one among them. Thus, religious vocation is not something that serves two goals .It is a gift of God and for God alone. It becomes stable and strong through constant prayer and introspection. Therefore, my prayer to the Lord is, my Lord, let me see my attitude towards my Jesuit vocation again so that I may follow you more closely. (ii) My Mission: The prayer, “My Lord, let me see again”, helps me to examine my attitude towards my mission. Have I a positive attitude towards my mission which is entrusted to me? Am I committed to the work which is given to me? There is a story. It goes like this; there were two men. One day they went for an outing. They saw a huge stone on the way. One of them said, “This stone is uselessly lying here. Why don’t we break it into pieces? But he was not committed to his word. Hence the stone remained intact. The other said, “No, it is of high value. I can make use of it. I can carve a beautiful statue out of it.” He was a sculpture. From the next day ownwards he started chiseling the stone. One day, he carved a beautiful statue which became a famous tourist spot. Here, there are two persons seeing the same stone with two different views. I need to categorize myself in the light of these two persons. Two men see the same wood with two different attitudes. One sees it as firewood. The other sees as a beautiful alter of God. What is my attitude towards my mission? Is it positive? If I fail in my mission (study), it means I am not faithful to my vocation, because my mission is the reflection of my vocation. Hence I need to see my attitude towards my mission again. My prayer to the Lord is, my Lord let me see my attitude towards my mission again to serve you alone. (iii) My community: when I reflect upon the prayer, “My Lord let me see again”, helps me to check my attitude towards my fellow companions whom I stay with. My community is the place where I am strengthened in my vocation and assisted in my mission. For this I need to have a positive attitude towards the members of my community. In the Old Testament we see the attitude of people towards Abram. Abram means father but he had no child. People saw him as a barren father. But in the sight of God he was a father of nations. Thus God said to Abram, “No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. (Gen: 17:5-6).My Lord, grant me the grace to see my companions again with positive attitude. The people of Bethlehem had different attitude towards David. They considered him as a weak shepherd. But God had different attitude. He saw David as the king of Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward (1 Sam 16:12-13). I need to be aware of my thoughts and feelings about my companions. My Lord let me see my attitude again. In the New Testament we see the attitude of the pharisses towards Mathew. They saw him as a sinner. But Jesus had different feeling about him. He saw him as his disciple and apostle. As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man called Mathew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. (Mt 9:9). Do I understand my companions as they are? My Lord Jesus, let me see my companions again.” In the parable of the Prodigal son, we see his attitude towards his father. In the state of pre- conversion, he thought about his father as a stingy, very strict, not loving and not giving freedom. Hence he departs from his father. But in post- conversion, he sees his attitude again. At this time he sees his father as a loving father, generous father and caring father. Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.”(Lk 15:11). But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! (Lk: 15:17). Do I have a positive attitude towards my superiors? My Lord let me see my attitude towards my superiors again. As I reflect on this prayer, I find my vocation; my mission and my community go hand in hand. One connot stand without the other. Therefore they are interconnected and interdependent with one another. To sustain in all these three aspects I need to pray constantly. This is all the more persistant as we celebrate the Year of Faith. It is the faith which keeps me alive in my vocation, my mission and my community. I need to see my vocation, my mission and my community through faith. Finally my prayer to the Lord is “My Lord, let me see my vocation, my mission and my community again through my faith.” Amen. community again through my faith.” Amen.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 17:17:26 +0000