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23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Ephphatha.  Translated from the original Aramaic, it means “be open.”  For those who have been through the RCIA process, this word is familiar as it is used in the minor rite just ahead of the Easter Vigil.  It’s meant to be a calming meditation prior to the celebration of the Easter Sacraments, intended remind us to “be open” to the moment, open to the Spirit moving within and around us...  Open to the possibilities ahead.  This word, and our gospel for this week, is also a great way to start the Adult Formation process as we resume our regular catechetical sessions, hoping that new souls will be “be open” to hearing the Holy Spirit… Be open to the process…  and be open to the Word to see what God is offering us.

The Word for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37

Our first reading comes from the Prophet Isaiah.  It is a time of fear for the people of Judah.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel has fallen to the Assyrians and now they have their sights on Jerusalem.  Isaiah tells them “Be strong, fear not!  Here is your God…”  With our God anything is possible.  “The eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared;”  God will protect them, especially those in most need, which we hear also in our Psalm “Praise the Lord , my soul!” as the Lord cares for us, sustains us and protects us.

Our Gospel from Mark mirrors the sentiment found in our other readings as we see Jesus curing the man who was deaf.  In a story that is unique to Mark’s gospel, Jesus takes the man aside, looks up to Heaven, groaned, and said “Ephphatha – that is, be opened.”  The man is cured, and though Jesus warns him and everyone not to tell anyone.  Of course, the more he tells them not to say anything, the more the word his deeds spreads. 

While many of us may be familiar with this story, we’re not so familiar with the place.  The Gospel tells us that Jesus “left the District of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of Decapolis.”  Tyre is on the Mediterranean coast, some 35 miles northwest of Galilee.  Sidon is also on the coast, about 20 miles north of Tyre.  From there our Gospel says Jesus went to the district of Decapolis.  This is the region east of the Sea of Galilee made up of ten (Greek “deca”) different cities.  This district is some 50 or 60 miles inland traveling southeast from Sidon.  These are not lush coastal villages, but more harsh, working class towns.  If Sidon is like Santa Monica, Decapolis would be like the San Fernando valley, or Lancaster and Palmdale.  Not only is Jesus working miracles, he is reaching out to those most in need.

When you consider whom Jesus is helping in our Gospel, the importance of our Second reading is revealed.  Continuing our study of the Letter from St. James, he is challenging our biases and perceptions of wealth and poverty.  He sees that a community can easily fall back to old ways of treating people… giving the best seat in the house to the well dressed person while telling the poor, shabbily dressed people to stand to the side.  James reminds us that how we look on the outside is not how God sees us, and that we should not judge based on appearances, because all too often it is those who are poor are those who are rich in faith.

Final Thoughts:
When I first entered university we were taught that this place was an “open forum:”  A venue where we come to be exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking, as well as a safe place where ideas can be explored with equal and unbiased academic rigor.  While this made some of my freshman class uncomfortable, I found it refreshing, because my Catholic education allowed me to see that the key to this academic ideal is also the key to our faith.  Ephphatha.  To be open. 

In order to embrace God and to embrace the Gospel we have to “be open.”  Open to the Spirit of God moving within and around us.  Open to reaching out and loving one another, especially those most in need.  This “openness” can be a real challenge for us.  It can mean going beyond our comfort zone.  It can mean giving up some control.  It can mean following a path different for secular society.  But that same “openness” also can allow us to reach out and find God within and around us.  All it takes is a little faith.

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