MY daily reflection and prayer:
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to Mark 7:31-37
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
THE Gospel today proclaims that Jesus Christ has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak. So, whatever Jesus does, he does well.
Jesus heals the deaf and the dumb by putting his fingers into his ears, and spitting and touching his tongue. Jesus makes his ears are opened, his tongue is released, and he speaks plainly.
What does it mean for us today? First, his finger symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the finger of God. Surely, when Jesus Christ puts his fingers into the ears of the deaf mute, he is opening the soul of man to faith through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Second, Jesus Chris has done all things well. So as the deaf and the dumb man, we are called too to do all thing well. We have to hear everything good with our ears, and also speak everything good with our tongue. Jesus calls us to become able to listen the voice of God, the voice of love speaking to our heart, and learn to speak in the language of love, to communicate with God and with others.
Jesus has done all things well. He treats each of us with kindness and compassion and he calls us to treat one another in like manner. We can treat one another with kindness and compassion with our tongue.
Before listening the Gospel we say, “Praised to you Lord!” Then we make a sign of cross at our head, lips and breast. It means that we must think and speak something good from the kindness of our hearts. Jesus says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34b-35).
St. James gives us advice that “no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way” (see James 3:1-10).
Unfortunately, we sometimes use our tongue not to speak something good of others but something bad. Pope Francis calls it as terrorism of gossip. The Pontiff says, “Who gossips is a terrorist that throws a bomb and destroys.”
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist we worship Jesus Christ and ask him that he wants to put his fingers to our ears and to touch our tongue that we are able to listen his word and we can treat one another with kindness and compassion with our tongue.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, fill us with your Holy Spirit and inflame our hearts with love and compassion. May we be able to listen your word and can treat one another with kindness and compassion with our tongue now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
