23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (B)

Sunday 8 September 2024
Mk 7:31-37

“They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly”.
(Mk 7:32-35)

Jesus’ notoriety also had an impact among the Gentiles. In this account, we read that He is decisive in heading towards the territory of the Decapolis (literally, ‘territory of the ten cities’) which had a predominantly Greek-speaking population, and where the administration was under the control of the Romans.

Here, a man who was deaf and mute is brought to Jesus; more than mute, the word used indicates ‘someone who has difficulty expressing himself, who cannot articulate words well’. As the story continues, the gestures that Jesus makes in healing this person are narrated: he puts his fingers in the ears and puts saliva on the sick person’s tongue. In fact, saliva was commonly attributed with therapeutic properties. Jesus performs this ritual with strong participation. We see this in the fact that He “looks toward heaven”, the same gesture he makes at the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and in that He “lets out a sigh, a groan” before pronouncing the famous: “Ephphatha!”, meaning: “Be opened!”.

Immediately “his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly”. In between the lived experience of being deaf and mute, and the happy ending of healing, Jesus introduces Himself through a gesture of fundamental importance: “He took him aside, away from the crowd”. To speak “plainly” is the most important moment in the healing, an adverb that in Greek literally means ‘with uprightness’.

It is also crucial for us to get away from the crowd, out of our little world, away from our certainties, out of the deafness of no longer being able to hear the voice of the Master. Let us dedicate some time to be in the presence of Jesus, face-to-face with Him. This is the first step on which everything else depends! Then, the Lord can let us hear His word. He touches us and ensures that, from our tongue, comes a purified speech which is not only correct, but also upright.

Fr. Giuseppe