I read recently that October is for photographers. A bold, wildly generalized statement. Autumn color and activities are unquestionably visual attractions. I've spent lots of October days searching for the perfect autumn photograph. I treasure the gift of sight and my passion for the camera.

The Gospel lesson for today, Mark 10:46-52, is the brief story of a blind, annoyingly loud beggar named Bartimaeus. He's an outsider, like a number of others who encounter Jesus in Mark's narrative. "I want to see," is Bartimaeus's answer to Jesus asking, "What do you want me to do for you?" This conversation stands in sharp contrast to earlier ones: the rich young ruler wants eternal life but cannot surrender his many possessions; the disciples want favored power and position, but Jesus tells them they misunderstand the mission. Bartimaeus wants to see and throws off his one possession, his cloak.

Time and again, Jesus includes the outsiders with healing and forgiveness. No one is outside or beyond the love of God as witnessed in Christ. Why then do we continually try to shrink the reach of God's care, as if we are privileged to be on the inside and others deserve to be on the outside?