In one of His parables, Jesus taught us that the kingdom of heaven was like a wedding feast, where the host got his servants to call poor people in from the streets to take part in the feast for his son. Whenever Jesus had meals with sinners and outcasts, He was living out this doctrine about the kingdom of God. In a somewhat similar way, we see the teaching of Jesus exemplified and vindicated in the events of His life. We may recall how Jesus in His parables taught us to be consistent, insistent and persistent in prayer. We read of such an instance today. The blind man of Jericho was certainly persistent in his prayer, in spite of the opposition from many people who were scolding him.

He may seem to have lacked some consistency in his prayer. He first called Jesus "Son of David" and then called him "Rabboni', which means "My teacher", "My master". But the change of title lets us see the change in his relationship with Jesus. Once Jesus had responded and called him, he felt closer to Jesus. So, too, his more general plea for mercy became a concrete prayer for sight. His words "I want to see", are delightfully abrupt and childlike. Let us learn from him.