[Isaiah 35:4-7; Psalm 145; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37]
One of the prayers which can be used during a Baptism is the Ephphatha Prayer and it comes from the Gospel used today “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.” These words recall the actions of Jesus when he healed the deaf man with the speech impediment. Jesus touched his ear and his tongue. In the Baptism Service the celebrant touches the ear and the lips of the person being baptised.
One of the ironic things in the Gospel is that after the miracle where the man was now able to speak and hear; Jesus ordered those present to tell no one, but we read that the more Jesus insisted on this the more widely they published it. While the deaf man could now hear, those present did not listen, and while Jesus released the ligament in the deaf man’s tongue those present failed to control their own tongue and spread the word about the works of Jesus.
All of this was of course prophesised in the Old Testament, and those who were present when this miracle took place would have been very aware of the words of Isaiah found in our First Reading today. Isaiah spoke about God coming to save them; this was during the time of exile and amongst the wonders which the Saviour would do are listed: ‘the ears of the deaf shall be unsealed and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy’. Surely those who witnessed Jesus’ miracle were singing for joy; they had seen with their own eyes, the difference in the man who had been healed; and recognised the signs of the Messiah within the actions of Jesus. I think, for me, remembering how the Gospel today is linked with the Baptism service will give me a new focus at the times when I baptise and use these words and a chance to remind the people attending the Baptism of this Gospel passage.
In the Second Reading today, we are warned by St James not to treat people differently according to how they look or how they appear to be in the social pecking order. All God’s children are equal in the eyes of the Lord. St James pointed out that God chose people who ‘were poor according to the world’ to be rich in faith. We can see this in the world today. In the developed parts of the world, those deemed to be rich in the eyes of the world; we see attendance at Church diminishing. However, in the poorer parts of the world, the Church is vibrant, growing and alive; this is often despite serious persecution from Governments and other organisations.
Whilst in the Gospel, Jesus tells them to tell no one, we, who are baptised, are called to actively go out and share our faith with those we encounter. Our ears have been unblocked to hear His word and our tongue has been freed to proclaim his faith. We are also aware that we don’t just share God’s word through our words; we have also been given hands and feet to do His work. There are times when it is difficult to hear God’s word, for example when we allow other words, sounds and noises to enter our ears and sadly at times we allow words, which are nothing to do with our faith; to leave our lips. The message from Jesus, our Saviour, is that His touch can heal us, we just need to come to Him and keep coming back to Him every time we fail. The well of His mercy never dries up, so let us all be like the man in the Gospel today, find a place, away from the crowd and allow Jesus to touch us, allow our hearts to be opened or in the words of Jesus ‘Ephphatha’.
Further Reading
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
CCC 1503-1505: Christ the Physician
CCC 1151-1152: signs used by Christ; sacramental signs
CCC 270-271: the mercy of God
Please keep in your prayers this week
- The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
- Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
- The men and their families who recommence Formation for the Diaconate this weekend.
- The success of the forthcoming Christians Against Poverty [CAP] money coaching programme, in the pastoral area.[1]
Deacon Tony
5th September 2024