What would you do if you could start over? If you were given a “do-over” or second chance at life? What would you change? Or, to put it in the words of today’s Gospel, what would you want to see differently? The cry of Bartimaeus in today’s Gospel is “Lord, I want to see!” I believe there are three things that, if given a chance, most people would want to appreciate differently: 1) relationships, 2) things we have overlooked and 3) the place that God has in our lives. Let’s take a look at these three things.

Most of you would agree that personal relationships are the most important thing in life. When we look at our lives, we wonder why we have allowed our careers, our busy schedules, and outside entertainment or desires to interfere with our relationships. Often, we don’t take as much time for the people we love as we should. Why can’t we see what we are missing?

The next thing on our list involves the things we may have overlooked. Certainly, this includes the poor and oppressed people in our midst. We often shut our eyes to their plight and pretend it doesn’t exist. But it also refers to the things we have overlooked or avoided in our own lives. What are some of the failings that keep you from living your best life? Is it alcohol or drugs? Is it an obsession with material wealth? Is it the attraction to a certain group of people? If we were given a second time around, wouldn’t we pray to see our flaws and change them?

And finally, the third thing we would pray to see is the presence of God in our lives. God is everywhere and yet many of us neglect to acknowledge His role. Every success that we have is a gift from God. All of the natural beauty around us is from God’s hand. Even human life is made in His image. Why do we fail to appreciate this? Certainly, if we could see this weakness, we would pray for the vision to take God out of the background and place him front and center of our life.

The cry of Bartimaeus, “Lord I want to see!” is the cry of every person who wants to become fully human. Pray for this sight as you approach the Eucharist today. If you make that request, don’t be surprised if Jesus hears your prayer. The promise of the Gospel is that the second time around can begin today.