Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111411.cfm

This gull didn't mind posing
for the camera, only a few feet away. 

Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"


What a wonderful question! "What do you want me to do for you?" That is Jesus' hineini, meaning "Here I am!"   It's one thing for a rich fellow to enter a poor neighborhood tossing out his excess clothing, old computer hardware, or disposable funds. It's quite another for someone to enter the life of needy people and say, "What can I do for you?" 
Just last week, I heard an economist speaking of the damage America's excess clothing does to the clothing industries of developing nations. His primary example was the NFL's practice of "donating" football shirts. Each year the NFL purchases millions of printed shirts ready for instant sale as the Super Bowl ends; half the shirts celebrate the victory of one team. The other half celebrate the other team's victory. Since only one team in fact wins, half the inventory is rendered useless, and is distributed to poor folks in a faraway country who might want a shirt regardless of its message. Of course, the NFL receives a sizable tax write off for their "generosity." 
But that only stresses the nascent garment industry in that country. Why would a poor person buy a new shirt when the NFL will give you one for free? 
But, the fellow went on to say, the shirts weren't exactly free since the receiving organization -- a non-profit charity -- must ship the merchandise and that costs money, usually less than a dollar per item. If that money were distributed as seed money to the struggling clothing manufacturers, workers in that nation would prosper. 
Why is it so difficult for the donors to ask, "What do you want?" Probably because they will be asked to give something they'd rather not give. They might actually have to make a sacrifice, which often doesn't feel as good as cheap charity. 


What does the blind beggar want of Jesus? "Lord, please let me see."
How much will that cost Jesus? We might say "Nothing. He is God and he can give anything he wants." But that's not how I read in the Bible. Every kind act, every wise teaching and every bold act will cost Jesus his life, which he gladly gives for us. 


We should ask. Jesus wants us to ask. But we should realize what it will cost him, and we should be willing to do as the healed man does: "He followed him, giving glory to God."