Please read this passage before reading the homily.
Who was passing by? The crowd said it was Jesus of Nazareth. The beggar called him Son of David. The crowd saw him as a person from Nazareth; the beggar has insight to call his Son of David. The crowd saw a human; the beggar saw beyond what could be seen and saw Jesus as One anointed by God, as a Christ.
People with handicaps used to live by begging. Perhaps in our day and age, they can often find work so that they can support themselves. When Jesus asked this blind person what he wanted, he was also asking if the man wanted to accept full responsibility for himself. Jesus went on to heal: to give sight to the eyes and the resolve to take charge of his life without depending on other people for what he himself could do as a healed person.
We are like the blind person. Wea have fallen into a habit of not taking responsibility for ourselves because of the weakness we have. Jesus comes to us with the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” Do we want to see, as did the blind person, and take responsibility for our lives.
As a blind person, the man had insight into the reality of Jesus. When healed the man had sight and could see what he had to do. What insights o we have from the blindness we have? When we accept the healing that Christ has for us, we will have the power to do what must be done.
The conquest of our failures, the healing of our disabilities, the grace that Christ gives us, all these will be cause for people to give praise to God.