Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says to a deaf and mute man, “Ephphatha,” which means, “be opened”. And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
In the Scriptures, when Jesus heals blindness, deafness, or a speech impediment, it often is meant to point to something beyond the mere physical disability. It is meant to teach us something about a spiritual reality. If we are spiritually deaf, we cannot hear God’s word clearly. If we can’t hear his word with precision, neither will we be able to speak it with clarity.
These Gospel accounts about blindness or deafness invite us to ask, “Do I hear clearly what Jesus teaches about faith?” “Do I hear clearly His teaching on love of God and neighbor; about obedience, justice and being faithful to commitments?” The Gospel speaks profound truths and calls us to listen closely to what God is telling us.
But, the ways of the world, the lure of wealth, power, pleasure, or fame, can dull our spiritual hearing. We sometimes trust more in our own abilities and efforts than in God’s grace at work in our lives. Sometimes our own desires take precedent over God’s prescriptions about priorities and behaviors.
Am I obedient to God’s word? Are my love relationships rightly ordered? As a Catholic, do I look the other way for the sake of my career when my company does morally questionable things? Am I getting ahead at the expense of someone else? Is maintaining my lifestyle driving all my choices?
To hear God’s word clearly, will often convict me to seriously reflect on my motives and behaviors. The Gospel begs the question, “Am I hearing clearly?”
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
