1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 / Mark 10:46-52
From what we have gone through in life, we would have learnt that certain things cannot be forced.
No one can be forced to change their habits, or their behaviour or their principles. Because essentially change comes from within, not from without; it cannot be forced.
Similarly, faith and love cannot be forced on a person. God loves us and He wants us to have faith in His love for us.
But He will not force us to love Him or believe in Him. God only invites us to respond to His love.
In today's gospel, we hear about the response of a blind man called Bartimaeus.
Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus passing by. He may have have already heard many things about Jesus. The time had come for him to make a response to Jesus. And for his response, he got healed and he followed Jesus.
Faith is believing that God loves us and our response is to love God. When faith brings these two loves together, then we will know what journeying from darkness into light is all about.
Then we will experience what Bartimaeus experienced.