Praise Him --- Always

This past week God opened my eyes, and gave me some insight into His ways --- and my small part of His much bigger plans.  The Sunday Gospel was about Bartimaeus’ calling out to Jesus, asking for healing of his sight.  Much discernment of this Gospel focuses on Bartimaeus’ asking with confidence --- as we should do.  Or perhaps sermons might have noted that Bartimaeus cast off his cloak to go quickly to Jesus, despite the fact that his cloak was probably his most valuable possession --- as we should set aside things we might value, to seek Him.  Those are all good lessons to be had from this Gospel.

But I was blessed to see something else in that Gospel:  Sometimes we should act with Bartimaeus as our example, but sometimes we should be open to act with Jesus as our example, even to the point of working miracles!  In all things and in all ways, we should seek to do His will, and give Him praise --- always.  As my eyes were opened to, all things are possible with Him, and we perhaps might be blessed to see His great plans --- much grander than our tiny petitions, if we but just believe.

The closing hymn at this morning’s mass re-enforced this lesson for me:

Blessed Be Your Name

Blessed be Your Name,
When the sun’s shining down on me,
When the world’s all as it should be,
Blessed be Your Name.

Blessed be Your Name,
On the road marked with suffering,
Though there’s pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your Name.

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise.
When the darkness closes in, Lord,
Still I will say,

Blessed be the Name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your Name.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your glorious Name.