Friday February 9
Introduction
Wise as he was before, Solomon in his later years became deaf to God; this was the cause of the division of his kingdom.
A sign that Jesus is the Promised Savior is that he first goes to the poor, the sick, the marginalized people, for they need him most. Not only material poverty is meant. The deaf and the mute, the hard of hearing and the stammerers are we who are shut up within ourselves, often closed to God and to one another. Jesus comes to open our ears and mouths to the words and deeds of God, that we may listen to his message and respond to his love, and that we may also hear those who are poor and speak to them. Note that this miracle too happens in pagan territory. Let Jesus in the Eucharist heal us and commit us to God and people.
Opening Prayer
Our saving God,
Jesus your Son made those who were deaf hear
and those who were dumb speak.
Make us see that often we are stutterers
and hard of hearing.
Open our ears to the message of your Son
that it may stir our hearts and change our lives.
Loosen our tongues to proclaim
the great things you do for us
through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior for ever.
Reading 1: 1 kgs 11:29-32; 12:19
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.
Responsorial Psalm PS 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
R. (11a and 9a) I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
Alleluia See Acts 16:14b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 7:31-37
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."
Intercessions:
– For the Church, that we may not only love the poor and care for them, but also protest with courage when they are trampled upon, we pray:
– For educators in the faith – priests, sisters, catechists, teachers – that they themselves may listen to God’s word, and then pass it on with conviction and love, we pray:
– For those who are deaf and blind to other people and to their love and needs, that their eyes and hearts may be opened to the treasures of love and sharing, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God, merciful Father,
you set the table of your Son
for rich and poor alike.
By the strength of this bread of life,
do not allow us to remain deaf
to your voice crying out
in the needs of the poor and the oppressed.
Teach us and help us to speak to them
not just words of pity
but deeds of justice, dignity and love.
May this be the sign
that your Son is alive among us,
he who is our Lord and Savior for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Saving God,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have chosen
what is poor and weak in this world,
to be rich in faith and love
and to be heirs to your kingdom.
Jesus did all things well.
Speak through us who were once
faint-hearted and tongue-tied
deeds of mercy and hope,
for you have healed and freed us all
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Jesus has been with us in this Eucharistic celebration to bring us out of our isolation and to open us, in respect and love, to God and to our neighbor, that is, to all. Like Jesus, may we become available particularly to the poorest among us and let them feel that, with God, we too care. May Almighty God give you this openness and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary:
Our modern information cultures tend to worship factual knowledge: we store and process mountains, or rather mountain ranges, of information. But as T.S. Eliot wrote: “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? / Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” The Gospels are primarily wisdom rather than information. Jesus is the “Logos” (a Greek word tat means Word, or Wisdom) of God. The healings he performed are not retold as a physician might write up his journal. When he “made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak” he was not just relieving distressing conditions; he was somehow opening the human spirit to God. Healing and speaking are not only for daily practical exchanges. They go all the way to the depth of a person, and to the depth of God. The ultimate deafness would be deafness to the Word of God whispering in our deepest being; the ultimate dumbness would be the inability to praise God. I could have perfect hearing and clarity of speech and still be deeply deaf and dumb.