Jesus' Ministry of Liberation: A Companion after the Year of Mercy

This book offers hope both to those in ministry and to those being ministered to. In the image depicting Jesus' encounter with the Blind Man Bartimaeus, we find a story set within the wider context of Jesus' final journey from Jericho to Jerusalem where death awaited him. Perhaps, that was the moment in which he should have been preoccupied with misery and anguish given that his death was imminent. Bartimaeus was too insignificant to be noticed by anyone with such a greater commitment and pre-occupation like Jesus had. It may seem absurd at first to think that Jesus would waste his time on someone like Bartimaeus when death awaited him, but it is in this bizarre situation that Jesus bore authentic witness to mercy. Jesus' encounter with the blind man Bartimaeus is exactly God's vision for humankind, namely, that ministers of God should not forget the vulnerable in the exercise of ministry because it is one of the greatest opportunities of witnessing to God's love.We who are in ministry can easily forget ourselves in ministering to people often at the margins of society. But this is what Jesus will not ignore as these moments unquestionably demonstrate God's unfailing compassion for all even in obscure circumstances. Like Bishop Barron once intimated, the Divine Mercy is a demanding summons to mission. The 21st century society is characterized by self-centeredness, selfishness, egoism and individualism. There is always the tendency to focus on the powerful and rich at the expense of the poor and vulnerable. Bartimaeus experienced rejection from his own people, but he always remained hopeful that someday his story would change. Indeed, his story did change. We may not be physically blind, but our blindness may be of a different shade or brand. Whatever our circumstances, our story is about to change now. Come to Jesus now.