Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
Again Jesus left the
district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the
district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a
speech impediment and begged him to
lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his
finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up
to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And
immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and
he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered
them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and
they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute
speak.”
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Reflection:
There’s a story of a
man who was diagnosed to have a terminal sickness, of
course he was bothered, who would not be? But this man has great faith in Jesus
so he earnestly prayed. He went to Mass everyday,
he prayed the rosary regularly and he read his bible fervently.
As the days, weeks
and months passed by there was observable decline on his physical appearance.
But those around him noticed also the increase in his faith and confidence in
Jesus. They’ve noticed the peacefulness and calmness that he exudes so unlikely
of a dying man.
We are presented in
the gospel a story of physical healing, a deaf man was able to speak again
through the healing power of Jesus. With
the help of those around him the deaf man was brought closer to Jesus. After
which he begged Jesus to lay His hand on him.
Jesus took the man
away from the crowd. And in the stillness of the environment Jesus groaned and
said, “Ephphatha!” which means be opened. The man was immediately healed, he
was able to hear and speak once again.
Eventually, everyone
of us will get sick and everyone of us will also pray for physical healing from
Jesus. But not all of us would experience physical healing like what the deaf
man experienced in the gospel. Some of us would experience deep spiritual
healing, the same spiritual healing that the terminally sick man in our story
received from Jesus.
We must therefore
take steps also to get closer and build a relationship with Jesus. Let us take
the initiative and do it by ourselves now. Because sooner or later we will be
in need also of His physical and spiritual healing.
Let us not wait for
the time to come that we will go to Him because we are already in dire need of
Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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