First Reading (1 Kings 11:29–32; 12:19)
Responsorial Psalm:(Psalm 81)
Response: I am the Lord your God; listen to my voice.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
that we may listen to the words of your Son.
Alleluia.
Gospel: (Mark 7:31–37)
Homily
Happy Friday,
Today’s Gospel reading presents a deeply moving and personal encounter between Jesus and a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. Unlike other moments where Jesus heals with a word spoken from afar, here He draws close. He touches the man’s ears. He touches his tongue. Then He looks up to heaven, sighs, and says:
“Ephphatha” “Be opened.”
This is not merely a story of physical healing. It is a revelation of how God heals the human heart.
The man lived in silence- isolated, unable to hear, unable to speak clearly. Yet if we look honestly at ourselves, we may recognize something familiar. We live in an age of constant noise, endless information, perpetual distraction. And still, many hearts remain closed.
How often are we deaf-not by inability, but by choice?
Deaf to the needs of those closest to us.
Deaf to the cry of the poor.
Deaf to God’s quiet voice.
We hear sounds, but do we truly listen?
I recall seeing a young family at a restaurant: two parents absorbed in their phones, while their small child sat alone, clutching a toy, waiting for attention. No harsh words were spoken. Yet a kind of silence filled the table-the silence of disconnection.
Like the man in the Gospel, many today struggle not with vocal cords, but with the language of the heart.
Saint Mark tells us something striking: before healing the man, Jesus sighed-He groaned.
Why?
Because divine compassion is never distant. Christ does not observe suffering from afar. He enters into it. He feels it. That sigh is the sound of God’s empathy for a wounded world.
Healing, then and now, is rarely mechanical. It is personal.
And finally comes the command:
“Be opened.”
Not forced open. Not broken open. But invited open.
There are many ways we close ourselves:
Closed by pride
Closed by fear
Closed by past wounds
Closed by unforgiveness
I once met a man who had carried resentment toward his brother for twenty years. He believed he was protecting himself. In truth, he was living in a prison of bitterness. One day, moved by Scripture, he made a simple yet courageous choice- he made the call.
That phone call became his “Ephphatha.”
My friends, where are we closed today?
Deaf to reconciliation?
Mute in the face of injustice?
Closed to the possibility that God can transform us?
Jesus took the man aside from the crowd. He wishes to do the same for each of us-to move beyond the public version of our lives and touch those hidden places that are wounded, silent, and afraid.
As Christ comes to us again in this Leturgy, may we dare to pray:
Lord, open our ears
that we may hear Your voice.
Open our tongues
that we may speak words of mercy.
Open our hearts
that we may live in love.
Amen 🙏
God bless you
Pal Ronnie
No comments:
Post a Comment