Articles

Able to hear

Why do people sin? According to the author of Genesis, sinning is not the nature of humans: they were created good. But as far as the memory of people goes, they have sort of rebelled against God, they wanted to be their own masters, to decide for themselves what they wanted. This is put here in the form of a story that expresses also our solidarity in sin.
A sign that Jesus is the Promised Savior is that he first goes to the poor, the sick, the marginalized people, for they need him most. Not only material poverty is meant. The deaf and the mute, the hard of hearing and the stammers are we who are shut up within ourselves, often closed to God and to one another. Jesus comes to open our ears and mouths to the words and deeds of God, that we may listen to his message and respond to his love, and that we may also hear those who are poor and speak to them.

Reading: Genesis 3:1-8

The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”
The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Then he left the region of Tyre, went through Sidon back to Galilee Lake and over to the district of the Ten Towns. Some people brought a man who could neither hear nor speak and asked Jesus to lay a healing hand on him. He took the man off by himself, put his fingers in the man’s ears and some spit on the man’s tongue. Then Jesus looked up in prayer, groaned mightily, and commanded, “Ephphatha!—Open up!” And it happened. The man’s hearing was clear and his speech plain—just like that.
Jesus urged them to keep it quiet, but they talked it up all the more, beside themselves with excitement. “He’s done it all and done it well. He gives hearing to the deaf, speech to the speechless.”

Prayer

Our saving God,
Jesus your Son made those who were deaf hear
and those who were dumb speak.
Make us see that often we are stutterers
and hard of hearing.
Open our ears to the message of your Son
that it may stir our hearts and change our lives.
Loosen our tongues to proclaim
the great things you do for us
through your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior for ever. Amen.