He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.
(Mark 7: 37)
While Jesus was on his travels, people brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment, and he healed him, saying the word, "Ephphatha!" "Be opened!" The people, on seeing this, were astonished and exclaimed:
He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.
The miracles performed by Jesus are an expression of his love for all those he meets on his journey. They are also 'signs' of the new world that he came to bring. The healing of the deaf and dumb man is the sign that Jesus came to bring us a new ability to understand and to speak.
"Ephphatha" was the word pronounced over us too, at the time of our baptism.
"Ephphatha" and he opens us up to hearing God's Word, so that we can allow it to penetrate deeply in us.
"Ephphatha" is his invitation to us to be open and to listen to all those with whom he identified himself - every person, especially the small, the poor, the needy - and to begin with everyone a dialogue of love that reaches the point of sharing our experience of the Gospel.
Grateful to Jesus for all that he continues to work in us, let us too proclaim, as did the crowds of his time:
He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.
How should we live this Word of Life?
By shattering our 'deafness' and silencing the noises within us and around us that block out the voice of God, the voice of our conscience, the voices of our brothers and sisters.
We often receive requests for help, sometimes unspoken ones, from many different sides: a child wanting to be noticed, a married couple in crisis, someone who is sick or an older person or a prisoner in need of help.
We hear the cries of citizens asking for better conditions in their town, workers demanding greater justice, or entire peoples whose existence is denied... Distracted by a thousand interests and pleasures, our hearts and ears are not always tuned in to those around us. Or perhaps we focus on our own needs, and find ourselves pretending not to hear.
The Word of Life asks us to 'listen' in order to help other people bear their problems and to share in their joys and dreams, in a new-found solidarity. It invites us not to be 'dumb', but to find the courage to speak: sharing our deepest experiences and convictions; intervening in defence of those who have no voice; bringing about reconciliation; proposing new ideas, solutions, plans. And when we feel unable to rise to the occasion, we will be supported by something certain: Jesus, who has opened our ears and our lips.
This was the experience of Lucy Shara, from South Africa, who moved to Durban with her family, where she found herself in a big city with a new, responsible job. It was during the years of Apartheid when it was not usual for African women to hold positions of leadership.
One day she realised that the poor working conditions were causing an acute form of asthma among the workers. Many of them would suddenly stop turning up for work or would take months off. She spoke about it with the assistant director and proposed a solution: to install a more efficient system for purifying the air. The machine was expensive and the company refused her proposal.
Lucy had been trying to live the Word of Life for some time, and she found strength and light in it. She felt a fire within, which gave her courage, keeping her calm amid all the dealings and helping her listen sincerely to the opinions of the management.
"I eventually found the right words to say in defence of those without a voice," she said. "I managed to explain that the initial high cost would pay off when the health of the workers improved, and they were no longer forced to take sick leave."
Hers were convincing words. The purifier was installed, the cases of asthma decreased from 12 to two per cent and absenteeism decreased proportionally. The directors of the company thanked her, and even gave her an extra bonus. A new and joyful atmosphere was 'breathed' in the company - in every sense of the word.
This Word of Life is contained in the Bible passage chosen by the South African Churches from Umlazi near Durban as the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Their ideas originated in their experience of suffering caused by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in that area.