Homily: Friday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time - Ephphatha, Be opened!

Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf, was once asked:  If you had a choice of being blind or deaf, which would you choose?  She replied that she would prefer to be blind because deafness makes communication so difficult. 

By definition a community is a group of people one can communicate with.  Being deaf and mute in Jesus time would result in virtual isolation from one’s community.  This man had no access to the speech of others.  The stories of history and faith, which were mostly passed on orally in Jesus’ time, were completely closed to him.

So, when Jesus healed him and spoke the words, “Ephphatha, Be opened,” he literally tore down the walls that kept this man from the fullness of life.  Now, he could hear the sacred stories of his people, the laughter of children, and communicate his wants and desires to them as well.   Now, he could hear of God’s immense love for him.

During the baptism ritual, the priests recalls this powerful story.  Touching the ears and mouth of the person being baptized the priest says, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.  May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God.”  In the old days, during this rite, the priest would moisten his thumb with saliva, like Jesus in the Gospel.

Just as physical deafness and muteness hinder or even sever our ability to communicate, spiritual deafness and muteness hinder our communion with God. 

We heard the story of the “original sin” of Adam and Eve in our first reading today.  Here is the origin of our spiritual deafness, when Adam and Eve closed their ears to the commands of God.  They chose, with their free will, to not listen, to disobey.  Not only are we born with the effects of this spiritual deafness, but the cycle of sin in each of our lives continues this turning away from the voice of God.

Jesus healing the deafmute man in the Gospel reminds us that Jesus came to cure us from not only physical deaf muteness, but spiritual deaf muteness as well.  May our ears be open to receive his word as it comes to us through scripture and the teaching of the Church.  May our mouths be open to proclaim that faith when we are called to share it, with unbelievers, with those who need encouragement in the faith.  May each of us come to hear more deeply God’s great love for each of us, and share the message of that love with others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.