Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Imagine never hearing your favorite song again; never hearing the sound of your spouse or your children or loved ones say: I love you. The sense of hearing is so important in our everyday life, and most of us probably take it for granted.
It is hard to imagine what life would be like being deaf. A person’s world would be totally different. We can imagine the shock, then, of the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, after Jesus healed him. That man’s life was totally different from that point on! It’s no wonder that the people who were there responded with astonishment. Perhaps they realized that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy from Isaiah that we heard in our first reading: “Then the eyes of the blind will 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.” Perhaps they were wondering to themselves if Jesus could be the Messiah.
The way that Jesus healed the man was interesting, too. Mark writes, “[Jesus] put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’–that is, ‘Be opened!’” In our American culture that doesn’t like touching too much, that may sound very uncomfortable!
The Church retains a ritual with a similar name in the Baptismal Rite for children. After baptizing the child, anointing her with the Sacred Chrism, clothing her with the white garment, and giving the godparents and parents the baptismal candle lit from the Paschal Candle, the priest or deacon “touches the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb, saying: 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.” The Church continues to open ears and mouths when people are baptized, but not just of children who are deaf or who cannot speak. She allows this rite for all children. Why?
Holy Mother Church is very realistic. She knows that we need ritual symbols to remind us about who we are called to be, and what we are called to do. By our baptism, we are called to open our ears and speak, not just to hear sounds and speak words, but to listen for Christ and to speak His Word. Let’s be honest, there are times where we would rather be deaf to God and not talk about Him. We need Jesus to open our ears and mouth.
Do we hear Jesus speaking authoritatively through the Church? Do we treat the Church when She speaks about faith and morals as just one more opinion, or do we treat it as God continuing to communicate in the world, even when it goes against what we think is best or right? Do we hear the cry of the poor, or have we closed our ears to them because we cannot be bothered with their struggles? Do we hear people screaming for the love and truth of Christ, or do we just figure that they can find their own way to God?
Do we speak about Jesus? This past week I was feeling a little lazy, so I decided to go to Hooligans for dinner. I was one of three people in the restaurant at the time. The waiter recognized me as a priest (I was in my clerical attire), and mentioned how he tries to go to church every Sunday, but he certainly prays every day. I felt a tugging to say something about why Sunday is important, but decided just to be quiet. He served me my meal, and did a very good job. At the end of the meal, as I was signing the receipt, I couldn’t help, pushed as I was by the Spirit, to say, “Do you know why Sundays are important to Christians?” He told me it was about fellowship. But I pressed him even further and said, “Yes, but why Sundays?” He said he didn’t know, and that started a conversation about how Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, which sets us apart as Christians, and which is a reason to rejoice because of the new life we are offered in Christ. From there I found out that he is a fallen away Catholic, and we talked about his issues with Catholicism. I don’t know if he’ll come back to the Church, though I did invite him. But I know I was docile enough (after a bit of prodding) to the Holy Spirit to talk to Him about Jesus and His Church. That’s nothing to brag about; that’s my vocation, and I’m more embarrassed that it took me so long than I am proud that I did it. But Christ encountered one of His sheep through me, and maybe that sheep will return to the Catholic fold. He might have through someone else, but maybe not. Maybe I was the only one who could've talked to him in the way I did. Maybe you’re that person with someone else.
Christ tells us today: “‘Ephphata!’”–that is, “‘Be opened!’” “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.” Amen.
