Hearing before Speaking
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.
23rd SUNDAY Ordinary Time Cycle B
A baby learns to speak by listening. Its mother says to it words that she wants her to repeat – in the same manner anyone would teach a parrot to speak.
The man in the gospel could speak but has not the capacity to do so because he was born deaf. Not hearing anything he could not repeat a word the others say to him
Jesus cured the man by taking him away from the crowd whose noise was not helping the deaf man. Away from the people, Jesus first opened the man’s ears. Only then was his tongue finally released from its bonds enabling him to speak.
We learn to speak by first listening. Unfortunately, many forget this and speak quickly without listening. We judge without hearing the complete story from all angles.
When the Messiah comes the deaf would hear, the dumb will speak, the blind will see – so wrote Isaiah in the first reading Is 35:4-7a.
Jesus had already come, why is it we still speak without listening, we still talk without seeing. What could make us deaf and blind to reality? Why do we have biases that block our view of what is true?
In the second reading St. James warned us of such partiality when he said, “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes.” Jas 2:1-5
This Sunday we are invited to clear ourselves of biases so that the Jubilee Year that accompanies the Messiah’s arrival may be fulfilled in us – that is we all hear distinctly, we all see vividly so that we all speak the impartial truth all the time.
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