CELEBRATE SUNDAY
WITH ST. MARY'S
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Be open to hearing the Gospel in a new way.
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Every once in a while, when we return to a scripture passage we’ve read or heard countless times before, certain details will pop out to us in ways we’ve never considered. We so often approach the Gospels as a story in which we have a general idea of the synopsis, but it is in the small details that the fullness of the Gospel message opens up to us. As we take in the world around us through our senses, we have a tendency to ignore the details that make up the big picture we see, the cacophony we hear, the meals we may taste, the textures we may touch. But we became enthralled with the world as children by first experiencing those small details, which gave us an appreciation for the whole. Now as adults, we must be opened to the details to fall in love with the world again. Now as mature Christians, we must look at the details of Scripture to fall in love with Christ again.
READ THIS SUNDAY'S MESSAGE
This Sunday’s Gospel is a perfect example of why we should pay attention to the details; not only is the story about the senses being opened again, but details within this passage allow us to have our minds and hearts opened to the identity of Christ in a more profound way. Within the story of Jesus’ healing of a deaf and mute man in Decapolis, there are so many bizarre details that pop out to us when we consider the story word by word. First, Jesus purposefully performs this miracle away from the crowds. Second, he does not merely use his words to heal the man, which is within his power; he places his fingers in the man’s ears and, with his spit, touches the man’s tongue. Third, he groans (the Greek word here estenaxen means the sound caused pressure being exerted forward, which is another detail worth reflecting upon) before he says, “ephphatha.” This is yet another significant detail - the Gospel writer Mark believes that it is important to use the original language of Jesus’ command to “be opened” rather than simply translating it into Greek. Rarely does this occur in the Gospels except when it comes to very important messages from Christ. Finally, Jesus performs a miracle, but instructs the man not to tell anyone. The only thing one can think of when considering all of these strange details is why?
Jesus was performing a miracle privately to a deaf man, who could hear nothing. Because of this, Jesus does not merely say something to heal the man; he shows the man visible signs of his own work, like placing his own fingers in the man’s ears. His spit is a visible element of what comes from his mouth, just like the healing word comes from his mouth. This man was deaf to the Word of God (which is the identity given to Christ later in the Gospel of John). He could not sense the word, but he could sense the spit. The groan is the Holy Spirit acting with Christ to produce the Word (It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to receive the Word). By using the untranslated word here, Mark is telling us that this is not just another word coming from Christ like everything else. Rather, it is the very same Word that God used at the beginning of time to create all things. The fact that Christ does this miracle secretly and specifically instructs the man not to tell others affirms that this was not an act done to show his power. This was a miracle performed to reveal to a single witness that Christ is the Word that created all things, but most importantly, with the working of the Holy Spirit so that we may receive it. As Christians, the only way we can be motivated to follow Christ is to fall back in love with him again and again, especially when we fall away or grow complacent. The best way to do this is to return to the details, either about his life, in his Word, in Scripture, or in his Church. Don’t just read about a man being opened to the identity of Christ; allow yourself to be the one being opened so that you, too, may come to discover Christ in a new way.
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