Gospel (Mk 10,46-52) - At that time, while Jesus was leaving Jericho together with his disciples and a large crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, who was blind, sat along the road begging. Hearing that he was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and say: «Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!». Many rebuked him to keep quiet, but he shouted even louder: "Son of David, have mercy on me!". Jesus stopped and said: «Call him!». They called the blind man, saying to him: «Courage! Get up, he's calling you! He threw off his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him: "What do you want me to do for you?". And the blind man answered him: «Rabboni, may I see again!». And Jesus said to him, "Go, your faith has saved you." And immediately he saw again and followed him along the road.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is passing by and, with all his voice in his throat, he shouts out his desperation: «Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!». It's a simple, direct cry. And it is the prayer that the tradition of the Christian East also calls the "prayer of the heart". The crowd – a considerable crowd, Marco notes – tries to silence him. This is not frequent in the Gospels, however it happens that a majority culture that pushes people to think only of themselves leads many to even be cruel, as in this case where the crowd tries to silence Bartimaeus. It is also more than plausible because it is normal to think that the poor are always annoying. But for Bartimaeus there is no other hope of recovery other than the cry for help. This is why he raises his voice even more to drown out the noise of the crowd. Jesus hears his cry and stops and calls him. Bartimaeus, hearing that Jesus is calling him, jumps up and starts running towards him. He still doesn't see, but that friendly voice speaks to his heart and Bartimaeus immediately feels his sight returning. Blessed are the eyes of Bartimaeus who as soon as they opened they saw the good face of Jesus! Blessed is the heart that with his prayer can begin to see and follow the Lord.