His Word Today: Saints Cyril and Methodius

Good morning everyone,

The gospel passage today recounts the encounter between Jesus and a deaf mute (Mk 7:31-37).  As he did in other cases, people brought ... a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him (Mk 7:31-33).  It is interesting to note that other people who had heard (or encountered) Jesus' good works were bringing this man to Jesus.  This is one of the signs of the fruitfulness of God's presence in our lives: when we have encountered Him and discovered the power of his love in our own lives, we are driven to share this good news with others ... even to bring them to Him.

Jesus took the man off by himself, away from the crowd.  He put his finger into the man's ears and touched his tongue (Mk 7:33).  In other words, he stopped, recognized the man's need and tended to him.  Perhaps we know what it is like to encounter Jesus in this way.  Perhaps we have had the great privilege of experiencing his gentle yet powerful presence in our own lives.  Perhaps we have even seen the power of Jesus at work, opening the ears of those who had previously been deafened to the sound of His voice and touching the tongues of those who have been muted so that they can regain the power of speech.

Saints Cyril (826-869 AD) and Methodius (815-885) were brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians.  They are most famous for inventing the Cyrillic alphabet which allowed them to translate the scriptures and to evangelize the Slavic people.  Like Jesus who opened the ears of the deaf man, Saint Cyril and Methodius made it possible for the Slavic people to hear the good news of the Gospel proclaimed in a language that they could understand.  Having opened their ears in this way, these two holy brothers also played a big part in freeing their tongues so that they in turn could share the joy of knowing Jesus with others.

Be on the lookout today for the ways in which Jesus invites us to be the agents of change, and pray for the courage to cooperate with such endeavours if you are invited to take part.

Have a great day.