Altar of the Crucifixion at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Monday, September 21, 2015

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time



Imagine if you suddenly no longer had the ability to hear or the ability to speak clearly. Yet despite this limiting handicap, you were still expected to make a significant contribution to society. Failure to do so will mean chastisement and separation from the rest of the community. If we could imagine what that might be like, then we can step into the world of the poor man who was brought before Jesus in the Gospel today. This poor man lacks the sense of hearing and is also described as having a speech impediment, suggesting that he still had the ability to speak, but it was difficult to understand him. This would have made communication with others difficult, to say the least, and would no doubt have made him the victim of ridicule and mockery.

I remember participating in a seminar on group dynamics once. A group of four of us was given a task to do as a team. We were told that we would have to build something, but of the four of us, the first was given an instruction sheet with a picture of what we were to make, but he couldn’t show anyone else the picture and could not help with making the object. He could only read the instructions and describe what he saw. The second person was not allowed to talk, the third couldn’t use his hands, and the forth had to keep his eyes closed throughout the activity. Once we were assigned what we could and could not do (I was the one who had to keep my eyes shut), the instructions were read. We had to construct a small table out of only computer paper and duct tape. It had to have a flat top and it had to be tall and wide enough for the roll of duct tape to pass between the legs. All people in the group had to participate as they were able. I remember thinking at first that the task seemed pretty easy, but then I quickly realized how hard it would be for me to participate with my eyes closed. I could certainly feel my way around to figure out what the others had done, and I would ask questions to get feedback from those who could talk, but I was more likely to knock things over with my hand then to be actually helping with the goal.

One of the other group members had a better idea for me. The roll of duct tape was handed to me and I was told to start tearing off three inch long strips of tape. This was pretty easy for me to do. The one who couldn’t talk rolled some paper into tubes to make table legs and used the tape to keep them rolled and to actually construct the table.

We were eventually able to finish the task. It took team work, as well as patience with each other. We also had to be clear in our communication. We couldn’t just say, “Hand me that thing over there” or “Make it short, but not too long”. We had to be specific: “Hand me the tape”, “Make the strips about 3 inches in length.” Finally, we also had to trust each other. Any one of us could have made doing this task more difficult or led the others astray or start criticizing the less than perfect work we were doing, but we trusted that we were working for a common goal.

So what does this have to do with what is happening in the Gospel today? Sometimes we not unlike that man in the Gospel, our own limitations make it hard to get certain things done. Sometimes we need to trust that others are going to help us get thing done, like I did in that team building exercise. Sometimes the help comes from Christ, just as it did for the man in the Gospel.

If we look back at our first reading, we can see that the Prophet Isaiah was already talking about how the Messiah would heal those who were blind, deaf, lame, and mute, hundreds of years before Christ was born. The Prophet tells us that we need not fear, for our own God is coming with vindication and recompense to save us. He uses beautiful imagery as he describes the eyes of the blind being opened, the ears of the deaf able to hear, the lame leaping like a stag, and the mute able to sing. This is a very powerful image that I’m sure stuck in the heads of the Jewish people who learned it. When Jesus performed the miracle in today’s Gospel, the crowd has no problem recognizing that He is fulfilling what the Prophet Isaiah had said. We are told, “They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” What these readings should teach us is that Christ is meant to come and heal and save us.

This Gospel reading also has a very strong connection with our baptism and our baptismal calling. The Rite of Baptism that we celebrate in the Catholic Church has many distinct parts and various blessings within the overall celebration. One of these blessings is called the “Ephphetha Rite”, named after that unique word that Jesus says during the miracle which means, “Be opened!” During an infant baptism, the priest or deacon touch the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb while saying, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May He soon touch your ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father. Amen.” So that prayer is asking that God bless the child so that he or she will hear the Word of God and proclaim Christ’s faith to all people. That same prayer was said over all of us so that we can hear and proclaim as well.

Despite the fact that we received that blessing, many of us are still afraid to listen to God and to help spread the faith and Good News with our mouth. The readings today should be a reminder to all of us that we need the blessings and the help of Christ in order to get past our fears and be willing to do the work our Baptism sends us on. As brothers and sisters in Christ we can also encourage each other in this calling.

My point is simple: we are not perfect and we have our limitations. However, Christ is able to give us the blessings we need to fulfill the calling He has given us from Baptism; to tell others about Him. Let us not fear, but trust in His help.


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