I love the gospel passage for today's liturgy. Saint Mark explains that Jesus left the district of Tyre and went ... into the district of the Decapolis (a Greek word meaning 'ten cities', referring to a centre of Greek and Roman culture located in present-day southern Israel, Syria and Jordan: a region which at the time was otherwise predominantly composed of ancient Semitic-speaking peoples). There, people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hands on him (Mk 7:32). Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, put his finger into his ears, spat and then touched his tongue (Mk 7:33). Then, he looked up to heaven and said to the man: Ephphatha! (Be opened!).
Even today, when we celebrate the Rites of Baptism, one of the rituals we can observe is the rite of Ephphetha. Like Jesus, the priest, deacon or bishop prays for the child using the words: The Lord Jesus made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. May he soon touch your ears to hear his word and your lips to proclaim it to the praise and glory of God (Rite of Baptism for Children). As he speaks the words, the priest, deacon or bishop will touch the child's ears and mouth.
This action is accomplished in a matter of moments, but like all other actions and words that form parts of the Church's sacramental life, it has profound meaning and merits our thought today. If we have been baptized, the Lord has also touched our ears and our lips so that we can hear his Word, so that it can enter through our ears and make its way to our hearts. From there, it can continue until it finds a home in our hands (cf Pope Francis, General Audience, 7 February 2018). In this way, we are called to continue the work of sharing the good news of the gospel with those we meet, both by proclaiming it with our lips and putting it into action through the work of our hands.
Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment