Beloved in Christ,
"Ephphata," that is, 'Be opened'" (Mk 7: 34). In the Gospel of today's Mass, Jesus healed the deaf and hard of hearing by the power of his Divine Word but also through the instrumentality of his finger and spittle. The healing and restoration carried out by Jesus on this man and others in the Gospel confirm and fulfill Old Testament prophecies about the Messianic era when Jesus would establish the fullness of God's kingdom. The physical healing in this passage of the Gospel also points to the spiritual healing of the soul, mind, and spirit, building up Christians to listen clearly to God's voice in Sacred Scripture and proclaiming it loud and clear to the world.
A clear message that we can draw from this miraculous incident is the foundation it established for our Catholic sacraments and sacramental life. Jesus wants to heal and restore us holistically through words and material signs. This teaching is explained in more precise terms in the Didache biblical commentary on the verses of Mark's Gospel chosen for our liturgy this Sunday, 7: 31-37:
"Christ often used physical signs and gestures to accompany his healings: a touch, the laying on of hands, water, washing, mud, or his own spittle. These signs laid the foundation for the institution of the Seven Sacraments, the outward signs by which Christ, through his healing touch offered by his designated ministers, gives us his sanctifying and healing grace. In healing the deaf man with the speech impediment, Christ effectively opened his ears to hear God's Word and enabled his tongue to speak his praises. The Church retains this ephphatha, Aramaic for 'be opened,' in the Rite of Baptism, expressing that the newly baptized become open to the Word of God in his or her life."
God wants to heal us. Do we desire his healing and open to his divine healing touch? May God heal our entire being, that is, body and soul, of any impediment so that we may fully exercise our call to declare his praise and glory before others. Ephphata!
We celebrate a major feast in September: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on September 14. May you find strength in the healing Cross of Christ.
In Christ our Healer,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
"Ephphata," that is, 'Be opened'" (Mk 7: 34). In the Gospel of today's Mass, Jesus healed the deaf and hard of hearing by the power of his Divine Word but also through the instrumentality of his finger and spittle. The healing and restoration carried out by Jesus on this man and others in the Gospel confirm and fulfill Old Testament prophecies about the Messianic era when Jesus would establish the fullness of God's kingdom. The physical healing in this passage of the Gospel also points to the spiritual healing of the soul, mind, and spirit, building up Christians to listen clearly to God's voice in Sacred Scripture and proclaiming it loud and clear to the world.
A clear message that we can draw from this miraculous incident is the foundation it established for our Catholic sacraments and sacramental life. Jesus wants to heal and restore us holistically through words and material signs. This teaching is explained in more precise terms in the Didache biblical commentary on the verses of Mark's Gospel chosen for our liturgy this Sunday, 7: 31-37:
"Christ often used physical signs and gestures to accompany his healings: a touch, the laying on of hands, water, washing, mud, or his own spittle. These signs laid the foundation for the institution of the Seven Sacraments, the outward signs by which Christ, through his healing touch offered by his designated ministers, gives us his sanctifying and healing grace. In healing the deaf man with the speech impediment, Christ effectively opened his ears to hear God's Word and enabled his tongue to speak his praises. The Church retains this ephphatha, Aramaic for 'be opened,' in the Rite of Baptism, expressing that the newly baptized become open to the Word of God in his or her life."
God wants to heal us. Do we desire his healing and open to his divine healing touch? May God heal our entire being, that is, body and soul, of any impediment so that we may fully exercise our call to declare his praise and glory before others. Ephphata!
We celebrate a major feast in September: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on September 14. May you find strength in the healing Cross of Christ.
In Christ our Healer,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
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