May the compassionate Jesus heal you of every deafness and dumbness so that you will listen well to the word of God, allow it take root in your life and then proclaim it in truth and love to your neighbours.
Happy Sunday! +John I Okoye
DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Isaiah 35, 4-7a; James 2,1-5; Mark 7, 31-37; 23rd Sunday: Year B)
The liturgy of today presents in the gospel the episode of the cure of the deaf and dumb person. This cure is anticipated in the first reading from the book of Isaiah that announces prodigies which God will accomplish. In this oracle of salvation, the prophet, Isaiah, speaking to the Jews in exile depicts two ways in which the renewal promised by God is manifested: those who suffer physical maladies will be healed of their infirmities, and the barren wilderness will be filled with the promise of new life. The prophet is the messenger of this good news and is told to announce it to those who have been broken by the hardships of life, those who are weak and filled with fear. The promised salvation will not be limited to human beings. All creation will be renewed. This renewal is characterised by images of life-giving water (Streams and rivers, pools and springs). It is amazing what a little water can effect in dry and barren land. It can work miracles. Just as God’s saving power can restore infirm bodies to full strength, so this same power can transform deserts into oases. The oracle announces that both people and nature will enjoy abundant life. Just as deprivation and infirmity were considered signs of evil in the world, so this restoration was perceived as a sign of the transformation that only God can effect. It was a testimony to God’s presence in the world and to God’s victory over evil. Once again God had reestablished the original order of creation, and all life began again to flourish.
What Isaiah announced in his oracle of salvation is realised in the ministry of Jesus, who out of great and infinite mercy, dedicated his time to curing the sick and the afflicted. In the gospel pericope of today, a deaf and dumb person was presented to him to cure. Such people were unable to communicate and, therefore, were excluded from the social life of the people. It was a terrible life for people who were deaf and dumb, especially, in those days when hearing and speaking aids were not yet invented. A deaf and dumb person can neither hear nor respond. It has to be noted that the root of his or her difficulty lies in his or her deafness: he/she is dumb because he/she is deaf. We all have the organs of speech (mouths, tongues and vocal chords) but if there were deafness, they would not be trained/activated and, therefore, we would not be able to use them in speaking.
In the gospel story, Jesus cured the deaf and dumb person brought to him for healing. He could have done it by pronouncing miraculous words from a distance. But rather, having taken the deaf and dumb man apart, he put his finger in his ears and touched his tongue with spittle. He then looked up to heaven to indicate that this cure is taking place in union with his Father in heaven. He then pronounced the word ephaphatha which means be opened. At once the ears of the deaf and dumb person opened and the ligaments of his tongue were, at the same time, loosened and he spoke clearly. Jesus ordered them not to speak about the miracle. He did this with the hope that people would not misunderstand him and take him as a political messiah as they misunderstood the miracle of loaves after which they wanted to make him their king. The cure of this deaf and dumb is so symbolic that the church incorporated it in her rite for baptism. After administering the water of baptism, the minister touches the ears and mouth of the baptised. This indicates that baptism is a cure of deafness to the word of God. Baptism gives one the capacity to hear the word of God and cherish it and thus enter into communication and communion with God. Baptism is also a cure of dumbness as it gives the baptised the capacity to talk to God, speak about God, pray to him and praise him. Baptism also endows one with the capacity to bear witness to ones faith.
In the gospel story, Jesus cured the deaf and dumb person brought to him for healing. He could have done it by pronouncing miraculous words from a distance. But rather, having taken the deaf and dumb man apart, he put his finger in his ears and touched his tongue with spittle. He then looked up to heaven to indicate that this cure is taking place in union with his Father in heaven. He then pronounced the word ephaphatha which means be opened. At once the ears of the deaf and dumb person opened and the ligaments of his tongue were, at the same time, loosened and he spoke clearly. Jesus ordered them not to speak about the miracle. He did this with the hope that people would not misunderstand him and take him as a political messiah as they misunderstood the miracle of loaves after which they wanted to make him their king. The cure of this deaf and dumb is so symbolic that the church incorporated it in her rite for baptism. After administering the water of baptism, the minister touches the ears and mouth of the baptised. This indicates that baptism is a cure of deafness to the word of God. Baptism gives one the capacity to hear the word of God and cherish it and thus enter into communication and communion with God. Baptism is also a cure of dumbness as it gives the baptised the capacity to talk to God, speak about God, pray to him and praise him. Baptism also endows one with the capacity to bear witness to ones faith.
The second reading from the letter of James challenges our faith and charity. James is reminding us that our faith in God who made all men in his image and likeness and has no favourites should help us not to make distinctions about the rich and poor as the people tend always to honour the rich and disregard the poor. He is of the opinion that we should not allow such favouritism to enter neither our Christian communities nor our worshiping communities. Our faith, rather, should lead us to accord the same measure of love to both the rich and the poor. He even reminds us that we should take note that God himself has option for the poor: God chooses them to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.
The readings for this Sunday offer us a vision of eschatological fulfillments, a time when eyes will be opened and ears unstopped and hearts will leap for joy. They tell us very clearly that these marvels are brought about through the power of God and that, left to our own devices, we sometimes make distinctions that divide. From the times of our religious ancestors God promised to save us, to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf, to enable us to leap with the joy of being saved, to release us from the cruel bondage of hate and oppression and suffering. God made these promises, and he is faithful because these promises have been fulfilled by Jesus. He opens our eyes to the reality of God’s presence in our midst in the goodness of people and in the tenderness of life, even in its vulnerability. He opens our ears to hear the word of God spoken to us by others, revealed to us through the created world. Touched by Jesus in this way, our hearts leap with joy; our world and our lives are charged with the presence of God. Therefore, may the word ephaphatha from the Risen Jesus who presides at this Sunday Eucharistic assembly heal my deafness and dumbness so that I will listen well to the word of God, allow it take root in my life and then proclaim it in truth and love to my neighbours. Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye
graphics by charles
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