Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Be Opened "Ephphatha"
Jesus goes to the Decapolis, meaning ‘ten cities’ where he met a deaf and mute man. The people asked Jesus to ‘lay his hand upon him’, that is the traditional way of invoking the power of God. Jesus, nonetheless, took the man aside, “put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle, then, looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, ‘Be opened’. The dumb man’s ears were opened, and his tongue was loosened and he began to speak clearly. Joyously, the people spread the news, even when Jesus forbade them. The fact is that it is difficult to withhold good news.
Brethren, Jesus also always desires to tell us “Ephphatha,” when we come to him in faith. Obviously, as this man’s ears and eyes were closed, we all have some parts of ourselves whether spiritual or physical, which Jesus wants to open in our lives; do we come to him with great faith so that he can open us? Today let us examine our lives, what in our life needs to be opened? There are many ways that our soul can be closed: by anger or bitterness that I cling to, some lack of trust in God that leaves me anxious, or unforgiveness in a relationship. But when we sense a lack of peace interiorly, we don’t need to resolve it alone; we don’t need to be discouraged about not being perfect. We just need to be before Christ as we really are and let him into the area that is closed. We need to exercise enough trust to let go and invite him in.
Jesus’ activity as he goes around ‘doing all things well’ is the coming of God into the world, the Day of the Lord when the tongues of the dumb will sing for joy. Jesus is the sacrament of God, a promise of God to heal and forgive sins brought into the world by disobedience of one man. In him God is active in the world, bringing peace, healing and joy. In him people met and experienced God. His gestures of putting his fingers into the man’s ears and touching his tongue with spittle are affectionate ways of showing that God is physically at work in him. He needs to extend this mercy and affectionate love of God into our lives, into our darkest parts of our lives and the closed, he wants to open them, though not physically touching us but through his ministers and the sacraments. Invite him now to open not only your closed parts of your soul but also the closed blessings, chances, miracles and all of your unanswered prayers.
Did Jesus need to use His finger and His saliva to heal this man? Certainly not. He could have done it with a mere thought. But He chose to use His body as an instrument of His healing power. His fingers are still at work in the world, and we are his fingers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus chose to use His finger and even his saliva to dispense His power, so, also, He desires to continue using the members of His Body to distribute His grace. By Baptism, you are a member of Christ’s Body, the Church. You are His hands and feet, His eyes and voice, His heart and finger, and even His saliva. That last thought is very humbling. But if Jesus can use His saliva for healing, He can use you. If we can humbly understand that, then we will be better disposed to become an instrument of His divine mercy to those who need it. God is able to use us NOT because we are worthy of being used. Rather, He can use us because He has chosen to do so, even in our most humble state.
Jesus invites us to comfort others as his fingers in the world just as God used Isaiah in the first reading. God through Isaiah tells his people, those whose hearts are frightened: "Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing." This was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ who also in turn invites us to continue his healing work in the world by our cooperation with the Holy Spirit, often regarded as the finger of God.
Gregory the Great, a church father from the 6th century, comments on this miracle: "The Spirit is called the finger of God. When the Lord puts his fingers into the ears of the deaf mute, he was opening the soul of man to faith through the gifts of the Holy Spirit." The Lord treats each of us with kindness and compassion, opens all of our closed parts of our lives, and he calls us to treat one another in a like manner. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us enables us to love as Jesus loves. Do you show kindness and compassion to your neighbours and do you treat them with considerateness as Jesus did? St James in the second reading tells us to treat each one equal whether poor or rich for if you only give a seat to a rich man and neglect the poor, you have become a judge taking the place of God as the only judge and forgetting also that God chose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him. Treat all people equally.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with love and compassion. Make me attentive to the needs of others so that I may show them kindness and care. Make me an instrument of your mercy and peace that I may help others find healing and wholeness in you. Amen
Be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment