When was the last time you talked to a blind person? You may have "seen" blind people begging for help at the entrance of a metro station or crossing a busy intersection alone with the help of a white cane or a specially trained dog. But you may not have had the opportunity to become one of their friends. At OLHOC, many of us have been blessed to know two amazing blind persons: Velma and Peter. Both have attended daily and Sunday Masses regularly. Both have become friends for many of us worshipping at Our Lady.

Velma passed away several years ago, and many still remember her as a RCIA teacher. She taught for many years. She did so always with great passion and great love of Christ. Her greatest desire was to pass on her faith to adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church or for already baptized Catholics to receive new sacraments. She loved receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. When she was not longer able to come to church and stayed in a nursing home, she would ask me to come often to hear her Confession and receive Jesus. In addition, some parishioners brought her the Eucharist frequently. Velma taught me the importance of praying for PEACE for everyone.

Peter is much younger, and you can see him at daily Mass or at Sunday Mass. He comes on his own by bus or some parishioners volunteer to pick him up at his home. After daily Mass, you can see him practice learning new skills, using programs on his laptop. He does so with great concentration. With his cane he tries to navigate around our narthex and church without any help. He keeps praying that God will give him back his sight. Peter loves to join those of us praying the Rosary regularly before Mass (8:30 am every morning of the week and 7:30 am every Sunday). I Invite you to join Peter in the Rosary Prayer Group whenever you can. Begin once a week!

Both Velma and Peter are an inspiration for all of us. Both have shown great courage in accepting their loss of sight, and both of them in different ways have discovered the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Both of them have gone to the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly and can inspire everyone to do the same! Both of them have given the opportunity to other parishioners to SERVE them and assist them in so many ways.

In reality, we all have known many many blind people. Not just Velma and Peter. WE ARE ALL BLIND. Yes, we are all blind. We cannot see the reality of our life. Our view is distorted. We cannot see the presence and love of God in our own hearts nor in people around us. We are all like BARTIMAEUS, the blind man in last week's Gospel who was "sitting by the roadside, begging", begging for a change in his life, begging for an encounter with God, the personal God who has created us and is our personal Father, Abba, Daddy, in heaven. Bartimaeus' personal encounter with Jesus is one of the most powerful ones in the entire New Testament. We heard it through Mark's Gospel last Sunday. We hear it every three years, as part of the three-year Liturgical Cycle (we still have another three weeks of readings from Year B, the year of Mark).

Mark describes this amazing encounter in seven short verses (Mark 10:46-52). I invite you to open your Bible and read it again as if you had never read it or heard about it. Put yourself 

in the shoes of Bartimaeus and imagine what is going on as you hear that Jesus of Nazareth is coming! Jesus is passing by. Do you BELIEVE that Jesus can heal your spiritual blindness? Do you BELIEVE that Jesus is your Savior, the Savior of the World?

Are you prepared to CRY OUT like Bartimaeus: JESUS! SON OF DAVID! HAVE PITY ON ME"? ARE YOU LISTENING TO JESUS's answer? HE IS CALLING YOU PERSONALLY. Are you ready to meet him? What do you want to receive from HIM? HE IS the Son of God, the MESSIAH, the Savior of the World. HE can do anything for you so that you can follow His Father's will, God's will, not your will. WITH HIM, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. You will recall the Gospel of two weeks ago: the encounter of Jesus with the RICH YOUNG MAN followed by a discussion between Jesus and his disciples. When they asked: "Then who can be saved? “, Jesus responded very clearly: "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR

GOD" (Mark 10: 26-27). Jesus is our ONLY HOPE for Peace today and for Salvation forever.

Jesus is God. He can change our lives, not only today but through eternity. Do you believe it? It does not matter how many challenges, difficulties and tribulations we face today in our lives: within our families, at the workplace or with our friends. JESUS IS ALWAYS PRESENT. HE ALWAYS LOVES US. He even loves us more when we are lost and do not see a way out of our sinful lives, addictions, and anxieties.

This Sunday's readings (Mark 12:28-34 and Deuteronomy 6:2-6) give us HOPE! We are first invited to "FEAR" the Lord, our GOD, to HEAR HIS WORD, and keep HIS commandments throughout the days of our lives. THE PROMISE is that "we will have long life, grow, and prosper themore" (Deuteronomy 6:2-3). Let us take to heart the response that Jesus gives to the scribe's question:" Which is the first of all the commandments?". Let us memorize MOSES' words (Deuteronomy 6:4-6) quoted by Jesus as being the FIRST of all commandments: " Hear, O Israel! THE LORD OUR GOD IS LORD ALONE! You shall LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Let us ask Jesus to help us identify any idols we may worship (money, power, pleasure, prestige etc.) and to reject them. To love God, we need to KNOW HIM (Scriptures, personal prayer, sacraments) and to SURRENDER TO HIM.

As we prepare for All Saints Day (Monday) and All Souls Day (Tuesday), let us write the names of our departed beloved ones in the BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE (in the Narthex). Let us ask those who are already in heaven (saints) to pray for our own salvation. Let us also pray for all the souls of our beloved ones that are not already in heaven (saints) and are still in purgatory.

Jesus, help me to see!
Jesus, I want to see you!
Jesus I want to see you in everyone around me, especially those who suffer!
JESUS, I WANT TO SEE!

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain