In this striking image of the meeting of Blind Bartimaeus with Jesus, the Bulgarian artist Julia Stankova provides a sense of expectation and empathy between the two.
The able-sighted crowd are the distracted ones. Jesus is the one who listens, responds and then transforms. Listening is one of the skills that takes a lifetime to cultivate and yet once acquired changes the nature of relationships, whether between a couple, in the family, or the wider church family. As we embark on the Synodal pathway, cultivating this gentle art of gracious listening and gracious talking will provide us with opportunity to recognise where the Holy Spirit is prompting us to go.
In good marriage preparation couples learn how to listen and in so doing discover how it can avoid misunderstandings or division. Before reflecting on the story of Blind Baritmeaus, I would like to share with you a few ways in which we can all learn to listen to one another from the ways in which couples are supported to grow in personal and spiritual growth.
Listening is an art that we need to take time to cultivate it, as the listening for the pilgrim will inform the talking. We find a wonderful example of this from Jesus in his encounter with blind Bartimaeus: a disciple who gets it right Mk It is all about the apostolate of the ear, a gift that we all need to cultivate daily and one we hope to find in those to whom we open out our hearts as we travel along the Way.
Listening before speaking, as we know, is often the challenge. In a homily on the closing of the synod of bishops on Pope Francis chose this text, which also seems a favourite of his, to talk about how Jesus is the one in this encounter who does the listening.
