On the outskirts of Jericho, amid the dust and clamor of the crowded street, sat Bartimaeus—a blind beggar known to all who passed him by (Mark 10: 46-52). When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was approaching, his heart leaped. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Though some tried to silence him, Bartimaeus only shouted louder. His faith was rewarded when Jesus stopped and called him forward, asking: “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man’s answer was simple: “Rabbi, I want to see.” Jesus replied, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road, his life forever transformed.

Many read this account in Mark’s Gospel and wonder: “Why don’t we see such miraculous healings today? Has Jesus’s healing power diminished over the centuries?” The truth is, Jesus continues to heal—though sometimes in ways we might not expect. While we may look for dramatic physical cures, His healing often touches deeper wounds: those of the spirit, the mind, and the soul.

Let me share a modern-day testimony of healing that arrived in my inbox some years ago. It’s the story of a young Russian man named Alex, whose encounter with Jesus proved just as transformative as that of Bartimaeus, though in a different way.

Born and raised in Russia, Alex grew up in a world where faith was dismissed as a fairy tale. Until age eleven, he had never opened a Bible, viewing religion as Marx did—”the opium of the people.” Christianity, to his young mind, was nothing more than a crutch for the weak-minded. But life took an unexpected turn for Alex when his family relocated to Kassel, Germany. In their new home, tucked away in the drawer of a secondhand table, lay an old Bible. Alex scoffed at this discovery, but something held him back from discarding it. 

The teenage years that followed were turbulent. Alex’s idols were rap artists whose influence led him down a dangerous path of drug use and self-destruction. By seventeen, his life had spiraled into chaos, resulting in multiple stays in jail and at a rehabilitation clinic. He was a ship without an anchor, battered by the storms of addiction and despair. Lying in his hospital bed, feeling utterly hopeless, Alex remembered the Bible from the table drawer. Could it possibly hold the answer he desperately sought? When his mother, at his request, brought him that same Bible—preserved all those years—something extraordinary unfolded in his life.

As Alex immersed himself in the Gospels, he experienced what can only be described as a profound spiritual and physical healing. He was blown away when he read that Jesus died for his sins, and that he could be made whole. The words of Jesus spoke directly to his heart, offering him something no rehabilitation program, court order, or family intervention could achieve: a new life. The same Jesus who had touched Bartimaeus’s eyes now touched Alex’s soul, washing away years of addiction and self-loathing. The transformation was miraculous. Alex emerged from this encounter a new person—free from his addictions, renewed in spirit, and filled with a purpose he had never known. His family watched in amazement as their troubled son became an ambassador for Jesus’s healing power. His father and mother, moved by this marvelous change, soon followed his path of faith, and were baptized. Today, Alex lives in Germany with his wife, actively serving God and community.

His story stands as a powerful testament that Jesus’s healing touch remains as potent today as it was on that dusty road in Jericho. Whether opening blind eyes or mending a broken spirit, Jesus continues to transform lives in profound and lasting ways. Like Bartimaeus, Alex’s healing began with a simple act of reaching out to Jesus. His story reminds us that God’s healing is a living reality, available to anyone who seeks it with a sincere heart.

Perhaps you’re reading this while wrestling with your own wounds, visible or invisible. Remember: the same Jesus who heard Bartimaeus’s cry and found Alex in his deep despair is ready to meet you where you are. His healing power knows no bounds, and His love reaches across all time and space to touch those who call upon Him.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy, Ph.D.