Restored Holiness in Christ

Homily: Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Mark 7:31-37

8 September 2024

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez

These past couple of weeks, we have been equally entertained and irritated by the numerous senate hearings — there is one on Quiboloy and the KOJC, the budget of the OVP, the infamous Alice Guo and POGO, and the Muhlach case. Our legislators are working to uncover the truth of these matters. I am personally irritated when those questioned refuse to speak or answer the questions. Do you watch the recordings and livestreams? Are you also irritated by obvious attempts to conceal the truth?

Have you ever wondered why it is important to examine these matters in public? In my humble opinion, I think it is an attempt to restore the social balance and order that was disrupted because of the actions of those being interrogated. Their actions suggest, injustice, corruption, and sometimes criminal activity. If these matters are not addressed and dealt with, they will eventually destroy the ethical fabric of society.

Today’s readings talk of God’s promise of restoration to His people. It is a bringing back of order; a putting back of things in their proper place; a restoration of balance. In the First Reading, Isaiah relays God’s promise to save His people from exile. He tells them to watch out for the signs — among others, the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared, the lame will leap up, and the mute will sing. (Isaiah 35:5-6) It is a very observable and clear restoration of wholeness and balance in the life of an individual.  Now jumping hundreds of years forward to the time of Jesus, we know that Christ’s healing miracles exhibit these very specific signs — the lame walking, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the mute speaking. In our gospel, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. He takes the man aside, touches his ears and his tongue, looks up to the heavens and says: “Ephphatha: Be opened” (Mark 7:34). And the gospel text says, immediately, the man’s hearing and speech were restored.

This is a clear suggestion that Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation. Unfortunately, those who witnessed it were more taken by the magic and spectacle of the miracle. They spread the word about His astonishing acts but it ended there.  They failed to understand and see the deeper meaning behind Christ’s actions. Perhaps it was because they were expecting a different kind of liberation because at the time they were still under Roman rule. Perhaps they refused to accept that the man they knew as the carpenter’s son would be the Messiah after all.  I am sure after a few months, many of them would have forgotten about Jesus, with the exception, of course of the man who was healed.

There are two things I would like us to reflect on this Sunday — first is our need for the healing touch of Jesus, and second is the concept of being “opened”.  Ninety-nine (99%) of all of us gathered here are not deaf, mute, blind or lame. But there are many things in our life that need healing (restoration). It may not be physical, but it could be emotional, mental or spiritual. All those aspects of life are often thrown off balance when we encounter situations that shake our faith such as tragedies and problems, and also times when things are going so well with family, career or business that we begin to rely on ourselves and forget our dependence on God.  This is not the natural order of things. We, as God’s creation and His adoptive children, must always live in the consciousness of our connection and dependence on Him. He is the source of all blessings and He is the solution to all our troubles.

We are also encouraged to ponder today… What is it that needs to be opened in us? Perhaps our eyes need to be opened to the suffering and the needs of those around us; perhaps our ears need to be opened to the call of many persons in our lives to use our gifts for the common good; perhaps our hands need to be opened to be generous with our time, talent and treasure; perhaps our mouth needs to be opened to speak the Word of God to give consolation and hope to others; perhaps our hearts need to be opened to see our own sin and our need for God. There is a saying in Filipino, “Mahirap makakita ang nagbubulag-bulagan o makarinig ang nagbibingi-bingihan.”  As Christians, we cannot be true witnesses to Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven if we refuse to testify to the ideals of truth, peace and the message of the gospel. The Second Reading reminds us that we need to see Jesus in everyone — rich or poor, and treat one another with equal kindness and compassion. (James 2:1-5)

Finally, let us be reminded that in baptism, our ears have already been opened to receive the Good News and our tongues have been freed to proclaim this same Good News. We pray then that Jesus continuously opens our ears to hear God’s Word so as to understand in fullness the Lord’s saving message. We pray too that we may be most attentive and docile to God’s Word.  May the Lord bless our lips that we may always be ready to proclaim God’s life-giving message to others.