Get What You Want

Learning to give before we receive

Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."

 So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

          Let me ask you a simple question: do you know how to get what you want? Or, to put another way, do you know how to make other people give you what you want? Some might say, “Sure, I know, just go to Burger King restaurant, where their motto is, ‘Your way, right away!’ That’s how you get the hamburger that you want.” Well, maybe. However, if you’re Mick Jagger, the lead singer for the Rolling Stones, you’re a little more skeptical about always getting what you want, and so you sing, “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need…” Maybe getting what you want is not so easy. So, let me ask you again: do you know how to get what you want?

          Dale Carnegie, in his popular book How to Win Friends and Influence People wrote that the best way to get what you want is actually to give other people what they want first. He believed that if you give the other person what they want first, then quite instinctively, naturally, spontaneously, almost as if they cannot help themselves, they will give you what you want second. For example, if I give you a short sermon today, you will give more money in the collection plate!  I give you what you want, and then you’ll give me what I want. See how that works? This may all sound like a cliché, but I am convinced that this is a dynamic deeply hidden in the human heart: first you must give and then you will receive. That’s the best way to get what you want.

          In the gospel today, Jesus applies this Dale Carnegie principle to get what he wants. A blind man named Bartimaeus is sitting by the road when Jesus passes by. Jesus calls him and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus is ready to give first. But don’t think that just because Jesus healed the blind man, Jesus did not want something, too. Yes, Jesus wants something, too; in fact, it’s the exact same thing that he wants from all of us. Can you guess what it was? Jesus wanted the blind man’s confession of faith and his commitment to discipleship. Do you remember how the gospel ends? St. Mark writes, “Immediately he received his sight, and followed him on the way.” You see, the blind man got what he wanted, and therefore, instinctively, spontaneously, almost as if he couldn’t help himself, he gave Jesus what he wanted, namely, another disciple. In other words, Jesus knows how to get what he wants: first he gives, and then he receives.

          I’m very grateful to Fr. Jon McDougal for allowing me to celebrate Mass today and preach a little about Trinity Junior High. You may know that I am the Administrator and Chaplain there. Now, there are a lot of great things I could say about Trinity, like our superior academics, and our respectful and National Merit Finalist students, and that our students go to Mass every week and confession at least twice a year. But I won’t say any of that! (I just did, didn’t I??) Instead, I want you to know that we teach our students that there exists a deeper dynamic hidden in their hearts – the same one Carnegie capitalized on, and that the blind man saw. In other words, if Trinity students want to get what they want, they must first learn to give others what they want first. Is it any surprise that more priests and religious sisters come from Catholic schools? Priests and nuns give our whole lives in service to the Church. And what do we get in return? Well, just think about it: I get to go home every night, kick off my shoes, open a beer, and watch SportCenter. How many married guys with kids get to do that every night?? First you give and then you receive. See how that works?

          Now I’m going to keep this sermon short today, and in exchange I’m going to ask you to help Trinity Junior High in some way. Let me give you three suggestions. First, you can pray for Trinity, like we’ll pray for that at this Mass, or on your daily Rosary. Second, you can give generously in the Annual Fund – you should have received the letter about it already, or you can make a donation today. And, third, and this is the best of all, you can send your children or grandchildren to Trinity Junior High. Why? Well, because with all due respect to Mick Jagger, you CAN always get what you want. But first, you must give.

 Praised be Jesus Christ!