Readings (Year B):
Isaiah 35:4–7
Psalm 146:6–10
James 2:1–5
Mark 7:31–37
Reflection: A call to be open to all
The message we hear in all three readings today is simply: Ephphatha! That is: Be opened! Be open to the goodness and graciousness of our God.
Isaiah speaks words of hope to the Israelites in the desert, to those whose hearts are frightened: “Be strong, fear not” (Isa. 35:4). He encourages them to be open to the saving work of God, who will open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. God will transform even the earth with streams bursting forth in the desert, burning sands become pools and springs of water in thirsty ground.
James speaks of welcome and hospitality, of openness to both the wealthy and the poor. For those of us baptized into Christ, there cannot be any judgment of worthiness of another to be in our company, to be part of our communities of faith. Our call and our behavior is to be open to all.
And finally, in Mark’s gospel, we hear the story of Jesus healing the deaf man with a speech impediment. Here is when Jesus speaks, “‘Ephphatha’—that is, ‘be opened’” (Mark 7:34). And indeed, his ears were opened and his speech impediment was removed.
Perhaps you have viewed the videos of people who are color blind receiving glasses that allow them to suddenly see color. In each case, the person with new vision erupts in emotion at being able to see. Their lives are changed. Other videos portray people who are given hearing aids and are able to hear human voice and music for the first time. Such hearing allows them to speak clearly as well. These are stirring stories and the aids to sight and sound transform lives.
How do God and the gospel open our eyes, ears, hearts? How are our lives transformed—indeed, made different?
The gospel calls us to see with eyes of love and acceptance. In our humanness, we tend to notice only differences: age, color, ethnic background, sexuality, socioeconomic status, physical and psychological wellbeing, politics. These differences bring judgment. With hearts opened by God, we see every person and our earth as our neighbors, deserving of respect and care. Paul speaks this theme clearly, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). What a transformation there would be if we lived what we see in the example of Christ.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2018 pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts, The Enduring Call to Love,” applies to all discrimination:
“Racism arises when—either consciously or unconsciously—a person holds that his or her race or ethnicity is superior, and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as inferior and unworthy of equal regard. When this conviction or attitude leads individuals or groups to exclude, ridicule, mistreat, or unjustly discriminate against persons on the basis of their race or ethnicity, it is sinful . . . They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love.”
God calls us to hear the gospel with open minds and hearts, and also to speak that message with our lives. May we hear God speaking to us: “Ephphatha! Be opened.” And then, both seeing and hearing, transformed by new sight and sound, may we be catalysts for change in the world.
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