Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B September 9, 2018

First Reading
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Isaiah prophesies about God's vindication.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 146:7,8-9,9-10
A song of praise to God

Second Reading
James 2:1-5
James teaches that there is to be no partiality within the Christian
community.

Gospel Reading
Mark 7:31-37
Jesus restores a man's hearing and speech.

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."


Background on the Gospel Reading

Today we continue to hear the Gospel of Mark proclaimed. In today's
reading, Jesus heals a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. This
is a story about Jesus' healing power, and in it we find clues about our
understanding of sacrament. We are struck by the physical means used to
heal the man, the use of spittle and touch. The Church continues to
celebrate the sacraments using physical means. In the Sacrament of
Baptism, water and oil are used to show the power of the Holy Spirit. In
the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, we are anointed with holy oil
on the forehead and the hands. In the Eucharist, bread and wine become the
Body and Blood of Christ. We are a sacramental people who believe that
God's grace is given to us through these physical signs.

Some, however, see in this Gospel an image of the proclamation of the good
news of Jesus to the Gentiles. The geographic references tell us that
Jesus is journeying through Gentile territory. Jesus had previously
visited this region and healed a person possessed by a demon. Jesus was
already famous there, which explains why people brought the deaf man to
him.The story that precedes this reading in Mark's Gospel sets the stage.
Jesus encounters a Gentile, a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to heal
her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus engages her in a dialogue about not
feeding to dogs the food intended for children. Jesus is struck by the
woman's great faith when she replies that even dogs eat the food that
falls from the table, and he heals her daughter immediately. The faith of
this Greek woman compels Jesus to respond to her plea.

Mark shows that Jesus' own mission affirms the early Church's mission to
the Gentiles. This was a significant issue to the early Christian
community, which found that the good news of Jesus took root and spread
quickly among the Gentiles. Yet there is an irony in the story of healing
that Mark tells. Jesus gives the man the gift of speech, but then tells
him not to use it. Jesus asks that the news of his healing power, which is
evidence of his identity as the Messiah, not be spread. This is a
recurring motif in Mark's Gospel and is sometimes called the "messianic
secret."


Family Connection
Today's Gospel invites us to consider how we witness the healing presence
of Christ in our care for and ministry to those who are sick. We notice
that the deaf man is brought to Jesus for healing by his friends. These
people beg Jesus to lay his hands on this deaf man so that he might be
healed. Jesus' healing power is shown in his opening of the man's ears and
the restoring of his speech. When family members care for one another when
they are sick, they bring Christ's healing presence. When we pray for
those who are ill, we ask God to show his healing power. When health is
restored, we share that good news with others.

As you gather as a family, recall a time when a family member was ill.
What steps were taken to help restore this family member to health? Talk
about what it feels like to care for a person who is ill, and about how it
feels to be the sick person being cared for. In today's Gospel, we hear
about a time when Jesus healed a man who was deaf. Read today's Gospel,
Mark 7:31-37. Notice how the man who was cured and his friends could not
honor Jesus' request to keep quiet about Jesus' power to heal. We continue
to celebrate Jesus' healing presence in our lives by giving thanks to God
for the gift of healing and health. Conclude in prayer, thanking Jesus for
the gifts of health and healing. Pray together for those who are sick.
After each person is named, pray, "Jesus, heal us."


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings