Growing in Silence

Weekly Missionary Reflection
23rd Ordinary Sunday, 08 September 2024
Isa. 35:4-7a; Ps. 146:7,8-9a,9bc-10; Jas. 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37

“Then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’)”
Mark 7:34

Today’s Gospel of Mark is telling about Jesus healing the deaf and mute man in the district of Decapolis. Upon entering this district, people brought a deaf man who had a speech impediment to Jesus and begged Jesus to lay His hand on him. He took him off by Himself away from the crowd and put His finger into the man’s ears, spit, and touched his tongue. Then, He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said, “Ephphatha!” which means “Be opened!”. Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed and he spoke plainly.

In this story, Jesus showed His closeness and personal care to the needs. Jesus not only healed in a distance but He was also involved directly by putting His finger into the ears and touching the tongue, saying Ephphata. This word of Jesus is a powerful command that opens the ears and tongue of the man. Jesus wants to tell us how important it is to approach others with sincere care and love, and also to offer help directly when they are in need. 

Jesus’ call to the deaf man also reminds us of Jesus’ word that can change our lives. By listening to and receiving Jesus’ word, we can experience renewal and change in our lives, especially in the part that might be “closed” or blocked. The deaf and mute man believed that Jesus could cure him. 

In his silent life, isolated from the crowded world, this deaf man believed in Jesus. His faith in Jesus surpassed the Pharisees and scribes who were too busy with the religious rules, yet their heart and minds were far from God. In his silence, this deaf and mute man found God. His faith had cured him.

After being cured, the man and the crowds who saw that miracle could not resist not telling what God had done. The news from the cured man and people who witnessed this miracle reminds us of our calling as the disciples of Christ who are called to witness the Lord’s love and power in our lives, and also to proclaim good news to others.

Our mission today: listen to God’s word in our lives by reading the Bible every day.

(Ignasius Lede – Commission for Mission of The Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy and sorrow in the unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church this month:

Universal Church Intent: For the cry of the earth
We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and victims of natural disasters and climatic change and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.s

Indonesian Church Intent: Biblical Figures
We pray that Catholic children, teenagers, and youth can find the figures in the Scripture as their idols and models in living their daily lives.

Amen.