We have all had the experience of being caught in a crowd. Whether we’re pushing our way out of a concert, or inching our way into the subway, we know what it feels like to be scrunched like sardines in a can.
Imagine how frightened this man in today’s Gospel must have felt. He was surrounded by hundreds of people who were sick, wounded, or possessed.
Some of them were screaming, others were pleading. All them were trying to make their way to Jesus, the miracle worker.
They wanted his attention; they wanted to be healed.
But it’s this man who catches his attention. Perhaps it was his desperate face, or the faith of his friends who never gave up.
When Jesus stops, he pulls this blessed man aside, and gives him his undivided attention.
Imagine that – having the undivided attention of God…
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Though Jesus can heal this man’s deafness with a single word, he deliberately puts his finger into his ear, touching the most wounded part his life, a sign that Jesus understands the pain his deafness has caused.
The years of isolation – of being unable to hear or to speak – of feeling trapped within the walls of his own body, Jesus understands.
And as he touches him, Jesus “groans,” feeling his pain, crying out to the heavens on his behalf, “Ephphatha! Be opened!”
Be healed!
Instantly, this man runs off to tell everyone he knows about Jesus of Nazareth, the one who changed his life.
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Part of the pain of deafness is the fact that it isn’t instantly visible to others. It takes time before we realize someone cannot hear us – to see they are deaf.
That, really, is a symbol of the wounds many of us carry – often they’re hidden, tucked away from the outside world.
It takes time before others see we are wounded.
If we opened our hearts to Jesus right now, what part of us would need to be touched or healed?
Where have we become cold, or deafened to his voice?
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Like that man in the Gospel, Jesus wants to pull us away from the crowds and the distractions of life; he wants to give us his undivided attention.
“Ephphatha!”
That is his prayer for us this morning, that we “be opened!” to his voice… that we be opened to new ways of living…new ways of thinking… that we be opened to an ever deeper sense of God’s presence in our lives.
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And not only us — but everyone around us.
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Remember the crowds in the Gospel. They were scrunched like sardines in a can, all trying to inch their way to Jesus. They all wanted to be healed.
Our world and our families are no different. People still want to be healed. But like the deaf man in the Gospel, often they need a friend to lead them to Jesus.
We can be that friend.
How many people have asked us, for example, why we are Catholic, or why we go to Mass on Sundays, especially in this current climate?
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What an opportunity to share the Gospel with them! People are looking for answers – and ultimately for the Truth. We can bring them to Jesus.
As Saint Peter says, “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter3:15).
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We’re being challenged to think about our faith, about why Jesus matters to us, and to share that faith openly with others.
How might we do that this week?