A deaf mute, seeking a cure, was brought before Jesus. Jesus took the man aside, “Put His fingers into his ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then, looking up to Heaven, he said “Ephphatha”; that is, “Be opened”, and his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly. (MK. 7:33-35). Those who witnessed the healing miracle responded with “unbounded admiration,” Mark tells us. “He has done all things well,” they said, “He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak” (MK. 7-37). St. Mark wrote to a community of believers under persecution. Speaking up for Christ was a very dangerous thing. It could cost you your life. Thus the story of the deaf mute is aimed at those Christians who were afraid to witness to Jesus. They were afraid to trust in His word. They were like the deaf man in the gospel story and that is why they had a speech impediment when it came to speaking about Him.

Jesus is in our midst now seeking to cure our spiritual deafness and dumbness. There is a striking parallel between the deaf mute and many Christians today. The man can neither hear nor speak plainly just like many today who fail to hear the message of Jesus who wants to open our ears to His good news of a loving God who calls us into union with Himself. He wants to loosen our tongues, enabling us to speak clearly the language of love in our dealings with one another.

Do you realize that you may also be deaf? Has it ever occurred to you that you may not clearly understand the message of Jesus? Perhaps that is why so many Christians have a speech impediment when it comes to talking about their faith and, perhaps, that is why the children of this age no longer understand them when they try to communicate the good news? As individual Christians, we need to ask Jesus for healing to open our eyes and ears to the message of the gospel so we can understand it better and speak about it more plainly.

Are you prepared to open your ears to the word of God in Scripture, and to practice what you hear? Or, are you like those whom Jesus criticized as having ears, but hear not? Are you prepared to let the word of God influence your speech, thus drawing others to be influenced by the same good news?

The miracle of God’s presence among us is that He can open our ears and our minds to understand the good news daily, and loosen our tongues to inspire and uplift others.

-Fr. Hugh Duffy