7.9.003 Sunday 23rd Ordinary Season
First Reading: Isaiah 35, 4-7
Psalm 145
Second Reading: James 2, 1-5
Gospel: Mark 7, 31-37
A deaf and dumb man is brought to Jesus who is asked to lay his hands on the man's head. They have faith in him and yet they are inhabitants of Decapoli and therefore, pagan. Jesus grants their wish, but with great discretion. He intervenes from compassion and mercy. The pagans, not knowing the Scriptures, would not see the miracle as a sign that he is the Messiah.
Isaiah had said that "the ears of the deaf" would be unstopped when "our God comes and saves us". All the Jews should understand that the coming of Jesus is God's visit to his people, that the Messiah has come, salvation has come! In Decapoli, however, we are among the pagans, hence Jesus does not wish the deed to be made known: he runs the risk of being taken for a healer, for no-one realizes that the miracle is a sign. Another risk is that even his disciples misunderstand salvation and reduce it simply to well-being on this earth. It is not yet time for him to reveal himself as the Messiah: this will happen during his passion and his death and resurrection and will be confirmed by God! The men who have been helped, however, are not able to remain silent: they continue to proclaim their interpretation of what had happened: hence Jesus gains the reputation of a man who does things well, one who does miracles. This is really too little!
At our baptism the priest repeats for us Jesus' gesture and says: "Eph'phatha!"
"be opened"! Our ears too, must open and our tongues loosen. Are we
really deaf and dumb? Perhaps we have become so with the passing of time? I
see some Christians who, when the Word of God is announced, fall asleep or yawn
or move about impatiently, or listen without wanting to understand, or are immersed
in their own distant thoughts…! And I notice that the Word of God never returns
to the lips of some Christians, neither to pray to or to tell to their children;
it does not return even when giving advice or to complete an idea or reasoning
to be shared with others. Deaf and dumb to the Word of God! That word pronounced
by the priest at baptism has an effect while we are children, then who knows
why, we become deaf and dumb once again! We must present ourselves once more
to Jesus so that he may say his Word to us again and our eyes will be opened
and our tongues loosened, or rather that pride will be loosened that prevents
us from going to look for the Word and to use it in our lives. Our ears and
our tongues must heal. When? How will we know when it happens? What can we do?
First of all we must recognise who Jesus is. He was the one whom the prophets
foretold, the Messiah, chosen by God to give us his Word to manifest his will,
to guide us to his Presence, to enrichen us with his life. We can give our lives
to him, entrust our days to him, dedicate our time and attention to him so that
we may receive instruction, learn from him to forgive and to love. When we have
chosed him as our Lord, then he will be able to give us ears to hear his Word
and tongues to speak of him, to comunicate to others what we have been given!
Our lives will be an example of our faith in him, an example, as St James encourages
us, of that love which does not differentiate between the rich and poor, because
we do not look at how people are dressed, but at their hearts!
We will have learnt from Jesus himself how to see people, how to listen to the
Father, how to be able to exress only words of eternal Wisdom! Our love for
our brothers will be rich and genuine when we know how to give them the Word
which saves, the Word which illumines hearts, which gives hope and consolation,
which reveals the face of God, the Father and the heart of the Son!
Ears open, tongues loosened! We thank you, Lord Jesus, that we have been able
to listen to your Word so often! We thank you that on some ocassions we have
been able to talk of you and also to give others the light and the joy of knowing
you! Our love has, thus, become richer and deeper than when we have been able
to give money to the poor, or a smile and our time to those who suffer.