23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B. September 8, 2024
Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37
Theme: Jesus Opens our Spiritual Ears
and Tongues to Hear and Proclaim the Word of God
September
is the month of the Word of God. The Church encourages us to study, meditate,
share, and pray with the Bible often and often. The Scripture readings of this
Mass teach us that our call as Jesus’ disciples is to hear and “speak” or proclaim
the Word of God wherever we live. In the Gospel, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech
impediment, fulfilling the prophecy that Isaiah tells us in our first reading.
In the second reading, Saint James proclaims the Word of God to his Church
members, inviting them to avoid discrimination among them. We, too, need Jesus
to open our spiritual ears and tongues so that we can hear and “speak” or
proclaim God’s Word wherever we live.
Our
Gospel passage immediately follows the story of the Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
(7:24-30) and precedes the Feeding of the Four Thousand People (8:1-10). After his
dispute with the Pharisees and Scribes in Gennesaret regarding the human laws and
divine laws, his address in parable to the crowd, and the interpretation of the
parable to his disciples (7:1-23), Jesus went off to the district of Tyre,
where he had a conversation with a Syrophoenician woman about the healing of her
daughter (7:24-30). In our text, he left the district of Tyre. He is now in the
district of Decapolis. Tyre and Decapolis are the Gentile districts. Jesus is in
this Gentile territory to extend his mission to the Gentiles, who acknowledged
his power and demonstrated great faith in him.
Our
Gospel text is a narrative story. I structure it in three scenes. The first scene
deals with the people who brought the deaf man to Jesus (vv.31-32). The second scene
covers the healing ceremony in a one-on-one meeting between Jesus and the deaf
man (vv. 33-35). The third scene is Jesus's instruction regarding the Messianic
secret (vv. 36-37).
In
the first scene, the narrator tells us that the people brought a deaf man with
a speech impediment to Jesus and begged him to lay his hand on him, which means
to heal him. Here, the Church tries to teach us that our mission is to bring
the people to God and intercede for them. Parents and grandparents are responsible
for bringing their children and grandchildren to Church to meet with their Lord
Jesus and constantly pray for them. Likewise, the children and grandchildren are
called to take their parents and grandparents to Church, especially when they
(parents and grandparents) cannot do it alone, and always pray for them. We are
called to intercede for each other and help each other to go to God.
The
second scene of our Gospel is the ceremony of the healing of this deaf man in
an intimate relationship between him and Jesus. The people brought the man to
Jesus and interceded for his healing. They accomplished their mission. Now, the
movie changes sides. It is no longer between the people and Jesus but between
Jesus and the deaf man. The first notice is that Jesus took him away from the
people to be alone with him. The deaf man is now in a one-on-one relationship
with Jesus. This teaches us that although other people help us attend Church
and meet Jesus, we need to start a person-to-person relationship with God. For
instance, when the parents and grandparents take the children and grandchildren
to Church, they help them to begin their own experience of a one-on-one
relationship with God. So, by taking this deaf man off by himself, Jesus wants
to remind us that he maintains a one-on-one relationship with each of us.
The
second notice is the process of healing. It has two different elements: the
traditional and divine elements. Jesus used medical treatment gestures of tradition
in the Greco-Roman and Jewish world. He puts his finger into the man’s ears,
spits, and touches the man’s tongue with his saliva. In addition to this
traditional element, Jesus added a divine element, distinguishing him from other
healers of his time: he looks up to heaven, groans, and commands, “Be opened.”
The narrator reports that immediately, this man’s ears are “opened,” his speech
impediment is removed, and he speaks clearly (v.35). Are we not spiritually deaf? Do we hear the
Word of God well, especially that proclaimed at Masses? Do we “speak,” share,
and proclaim it to others in our families, neighborhoods, and wherever we live?
Honestly, many of us still struggle with both hearing and “speaking” God’s Word.
We need Jesus to open our spiritual ears so that we can hear the Word of God
well; we need him to remove our spiritual speech impediment so that we can plainly
“speak” or proclaim God’s Word to others. Hearing and “speaking” the Word of
God are two characteristics of discipleship.
In
the third scene, Jesus returns to the people and orders them not to tell anyone
about the miracle of this deaf man. The narrator comments that the more he forbids
them, the more they proclaim (v. 36). Why does Jesus forbid these people to
spread his news? Should the Word of God not be proclaimed? Here, the Church invites us to meditate on the
“Messianic Secret” that Mark emphasizes here and in his entire Gospel. Jesus is
not against proclaiming God’s Word. The context here is that Jesus’ fame has
spread throughout Galilee, Jerusalem, and the bordering land, making his ministry
difficult because he cannot openly enter one city or town. Also, through the
“Messianic secret,” Mark wants his readers to discover the divine identity of
Jesus as Messiah through their personal experience with Jesus, not through the
need for miracles. Becoming disciples of Jesus must be motivated not by the
need for miracles or any favor but by an intimate relationship with Jesus.
As
we celebrate September, the month of the Word of God, let us pray that this Eucharistic
celebration might open our spiritual ears and tongues so that we become the
disciples who hear and proclaim God’s Word wherever we live. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator &
Retreat Center Director
No comments:
Post a Comment