September 5: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I: Isaiah 35:4-7a
Responsorial Psalm: 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
Reading II: James 2:1-5
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Be opened! Ephphatha! Jesus healed a man who could neither speak nor hear! What’s more, Jesus’ Holy Spirit empowers us to do the same. You doubt that? What about transcribers of Braile? They help people see. How about those who record books and newspapers for the blind? Or medical professionals and researchers who come up with diagnoses, medicines, surgeries and therapies? They help people heal and see. 

And you and I do too. There is a young mother, Mary, whose daughter, Pam, was born without the ability to hear in one ear and less than half the ability to hear in the other ear. Mary taught Pam every day for eighteen years to make specific sounds and she taught her to lip read. Pam graduated from college as an occupational therapist and is now supervisor in a huge metropolitan hospital. The miracle Mary looked for happened over time through her coaching and teaching efforts. The miracle was the patient, slow work of faith and love. Pam says, “My family believed in me until I could believe in myself.” Isn’t that just what families do? We heal with Jesus-like power.  

Like the man in today’s Gospel, a little girl named Anne was unable to speak. Annie’s classmates at St. Charles Borromeo School told her mother she did not need to come to school to feed her daughter lunch every day. Her classmates said, “We’ll feed Annie.” And at Cardinal Mooney High School, a new teacher explained the expectations for his course on opening day. As soon as he said, “And there will be oral presentations,” he added, “But you don’t have to speak, Annie” and the entire class erupted, “Why not Annie?” The new teacher quietly said, “Well I want Annie to be comfortable and I didn’t think you could understand her.” The class again erupted, “We understand Annie just fine.” Her classmates had taught Annie to speak every school day for eleven years.  

In the late 1980s, Fr. Ray Fleming, a deaf priest, ministered with us at St. Rita’s Church. On the second Sunday he spoke, an usher said to me, “Hasn’t Fr. Ray improved in just one week with us?” I smiled. I knew Fr. Ray pretty well, so I guessed it was the usher who learned to hear Fr. Ray as well as Fr. Ray improved in just one week. Fr. Ray had been working his entire life on his speech and we improved our hearing each time we listened to him. Plus, there has never been anyone I felt listened to me better than Fr. Ray. His lip reading shows attentive listening, a very dear gift. Were we to listen as attentively, we might hear more of what our children, our spouse, our neighbors, our colleagues, our employees, our parishioners, and teachers are really saying.  

Whenever you are fearful or concerned about those who cannot see or cannot hear, or when you just need a dose of sheer beauty and aspiration, please read Isaiah 35: 4-7 and Psalm 146: 6-10. Today’s readings from the Letter of James and Psalm 146 remind us that the mute and deaf are used in Sacred Scripture often to symbolize those who are vulnerable, oppressed, ignored, outcast, hungry and poor. God promises to be faithful to them just as last week’s words from the Letter of James promised care for widows and orphans. Throughout Sacred Scripture widows and orphans are code for people who have no one to care for them. The biblical imperative is that we are called and gifted to be the care providers as the Holy Spirit empowers each of us in our unique ways. The deaf and the mute, the widows and orphans symbolize Israel’s ancient economy and the economy of all People of God throughout the ages. How much of our resources go to programs for people who are poor, hungry, outcast, oppressed and vulnerable? Our budgets are moral documents that show our priorities. Federal budgets show to whom legislators listen.  

The Letter of James today also advises us to show no partiality. Yet, our attention may be grabbed by the rich and famous, sports figures, rock stars, and those who claim the spotlight by outrageous words and actions. James assures us God chooses those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith. Listen to the people in our parish and hear concern for those who struggle to work and raise their children, put food on the table and pay their bills and for those who are ill and most recently for those who are hurting due to hurricanes, floods, wars, traumas, and injustices. We pray to be open to listen to those who are rich in faith.  

By Dr. Deni Mack, Dmin., Pastoral Associate Emerita