Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon
to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought
to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on
him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He 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!" And
immediately the man´s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and
he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered
them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and
they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the
mute speak." (Mark 7:31-37)
Introductory Prayer: Lord
Jesus, I come to you once again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, my
faith tells me that you are present. You are ready to listen and desire to
speak with me. Your presence gives me hope, because you are the all-powerful
God, the creator of heaven and earth. You are the source of all that is good in
my life. Nothing happens to me without your knowing and permitting it. My hope
leads me to love. I want to be one with you in mind and heart, identifying
myself with your will and your standards.
Petition: Lord, teach me
how to be alone with you. Help me to encounter you.
1. Away from the Crowd: Why
does Jesus take the deaf man off by himself away from the crowd? Jesus wants to
be alone with him, away from the noise and activity of the crowd. He wants to
be able to communicate with him in silence and solitude. Jesus invites me also
to go away from the crowd, away from the activity and noise of life, away from
other people and distractions, in order to pray. Jesus invites me to be alone
with him so that he can reveal himself to my soul and heal the impediments that
keep me from communicating his love and truth to others.
2. The Human Effort to Heal: Many
times in the Gospel, Jesus works a miracle with a mere word. But sometimes he
performs miracles with a physical act, as in this case, when he puts his finger
into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with spittle. What are we to make of
this? What can we learn from it? Many times, our healing requires a human
effort. Action must be taken. We are not purely spiritual beings, but body and
spirit woven into one. So our physical side plays a part. We kneel to pray. We
go into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
We make an effort to read Scripture. We do all of these physical
things so that our entire being, both body and soul, can be healed of sin and
grow closer to Christ.
3. To Speak Plainly: The
fruit of this encounter with Christ and of the effort that Christ makes is
clarity –– plain speech. The fog of imperfection is removed and the deaf-mute
begins to speak with the clarity and the forcefulness of truth –– so much so
that the people are astounded. If I have truly encountered Christ, the fog that
veils my mind and muddles my speech will be removed. The double-edged sword of
God’s truth will shine through my words and actions so much so that people will
be astounded.
Conversation with Christ:
Lord, I want to be your disciple. I want your
truth and love to shine in my life. Open my intellect so that I can perceive
your truth as it really is. Soften my heart to love you with a pure love that
overflows into the hearts of those around me. Strengthen my will to choose you
and your ways steadfastly.
Resolution: I will make the
effort today to set aside some time to pray away from the business of life
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