This morning the Pope took up again at the General Audience the cycle of catechesis for the Jubilee Year, 'Jesus Christ our Hope', and focused on meditation on blind Bartimaeus. Courage! Arise, he is calling you' (Mk 10:49-52). In his address, Leo XIV encouraged us to bring to Jesus "our infirmities, both of body and soul, with the same confidence that inspired the prayer of Bartimaeus".
In today's catechesis we reflect on the Gospel passage of blind Bartimaeus, which brings us face to face with an essential aspect of the life of Jesus, said Pope Leo XIV. "His ability to heal. Bartimaeus, alone and lying by the side of the road, when he heard Jesus passing by, he cried out, knew how to ask, abandoned his cloak, ran to the Lord and received what he longed for, to regain his sight".
"God always listens."
"Bartimaeus' attitude before Jesus helps us to never lose hope, even when we feel alone and fallen, because God always listens. Like him, we all need Jesus to heal us, to lift us up and help us to get back on our way," the Pontiff encouraged.
To be healed by the Lord. "Let us also place before the gaze of Christ, with faith and sincerity, all our vulnerability, sufferings and weaknesses," the Holy Father added. "Let us also be capable of not clinging to our apparent securities, which often prevent us from walking, and let us have the courage to raise our heads to recover our dignity."
"Keep shouting!"
"What can we do when we find ourselves in a seemingly hopeless situation? Bartimaeus teaches us to appeal to the resources that we carry within us and that are part of us. He is a beggar, he knows how to ask, indeed, he can cry out!" the Pope continued.
"If you really want something, do everything you can to get it, even when others berate you, humiliate you and tell you to quit. If you really want it, keep shouting!
The cry of Bartimaeus, recounted in the Gospel of Mark - 'Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me' (v. 47) - has become a well-known prayer in the Eastern tradition, which we too can use: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner'".
"Bartimaeus is blind, but paradoxically he sees better than the others and recognizes who Jesus is! At his cry, Jesus stops and calls him (cf. v. 49), because there is no cry that God does not hear, even when we are not aware of addressing him (cf. Ex 2:23)," the Pope meditated.
Holy Trinity Sunday
In his brief addresses to pilgrims of various languages, the Pope encouraged them to bring to Jesus our illnesses (German language). "Our trials, our limitations and our weaknesses, as well as those of our loved ones. Let us also bring the suffering of those who feel lost and cannot find a way out" (French).
"As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity next Sunday, I invite you to make your hearts a welcoming dwelling place for the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." "During this Jubilee of hope, may we too receive the grace to see all things anew in the light of faith, and to follow the Lord in freedom and newness of life." (English language).
Heart of Jesus
"I wish you to experience in your life the work of the Holy Spirit, to radiate the joy of faith" (Chinese language). "I cordially greet all Poles. In June they celebrate the pious devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I encourage you to cultivate this tradition, entrusting your worries and hopes to the Heart of Christ, source of life and holiness (Polish). "Let us ask the Lord with faith to cure us of our sicknesses" (Portuguese).
In his greetings in Spanish, he especially addressed "the groups from Spain, Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico". A Mexican band provided the ambience for Leo XIV's tour in the popemobile before the audience, in which he again greeted numerous babies and small children carried by their parents and relatives.
In Spanish, the Pope invited us "to bring with confidence before Jesus our illnesses and those of our loved ones; not to be indifferent to the pain of our brothers and sisters who feel lost and without a way out, but to give them a voice, certain that the Lord will listen to us and act. Let us ask God, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, to grant us the grace to follow Him who is the Way, Jesus Christ our Lord".
Prayer for the victims in Graz (Austria)
Already in Italian, before praying the Our Father and giving the Blessing, he prayed for the victims of the massacre in a school in Graz (Austria), and their families. Several hundred people attended a Mass for the victims.
The Pope concluded the Audience by recalling the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. "I hope that the contemplation of the Trinitarian mystery will lead you ever more deeply into divine Love, so that in every circumstance you can fulfill the will of the Lord.
