“Our youth love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority and show disrespect for their elders. They love to chatter instead of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not servants of their households.

“They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, gobble up their food, and tyrannize their teachers.”

Those words were written by Socrates in 400 B.C. and were used at a World Youth Day to reflect on the image youth gives in the world today.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and rests in Jericho where he meets Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is physically blind but he knows what is happening all around him. He knows who Jesus is and demands to see him. He also knows exactly what he wants when he meets Jesus.

Bartimaeus heard Jesus and cried out to him, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” He persisted in his prayer, “But he kept calling out all the more: Son of David, have pity on me.”

They said, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” And so he came to Jesus, where “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up and came to Jesus.”

Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Master, I want to see.”

“Go your way; your faith has saved you.”

Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

What does it mean? Bartimaeus understood what Jesus had been trying to get across to his disciples: that faith has its costs, you must leave all and follow. Bartimaeus began a whole new life with new sight and insight. Once he was cured of his blindness and able to see, Bartimaeus accepted the demand of faith and followed Jesus.

Jesus is passing by you also, and asking what you want him to do for you.

At the same time Jesus is asking you to look into your own life to recover your sight about yourself in such a way that you could follow Jesus into generous ministry.

What do you want me to do for you? The rich man was called to leave all, but he had a particular problem with being possessed by possessions. Several of the disciples wanted special places of self-importance.

Jesus is not calling everyone to the same level of discipleship but to where he knows you can, with his grace, do what he calls you to do. What do you want Jesus to do for you?

The monks are gathered in chapel for prayer.

Edmund goes to the lectern to lead in the prayers. For several minutes he shuffles the pages, and finally says, “I cannot see.” Without comment, another monk comes forward and reads at his side. The strong help the weak. “Someday I hope to see as Edmund does.”

In our families, each of us serves at times as the other person’s eyes or ears, hands or feet, head or heart.

We belong to one another and Jesus is the one who calls you together.

What would you want Jesus to do for your family?