Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 8, 2024. Readings: Gospel of St. Mark 7:31-37. Theme: Ephphatha! Be Opened!
“Ephphatha” is a strange word in today’s Gospel. It’s actually one of the very few words we have from the lips of Jesus in his own native language of Aramiac. And as St. Mark tells us, it means “Be opened”. This healing story was of such significance in Christianity that it became part of the ritual of Baptism wherein Jesus' words and gestures are repeated in what is called the “Ephphatha Rite”. At that part of the ceremony, the baptizing minister touches the ears and mouth of the newly baptized while saying, “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak, grant that you may soon receive his Word with your ears and profess the Faith with your lips, to the glory and praise of God the Father.”
It’s nearly impossible for us to imagine how much the deaf man suffered due to living in a silent world of social isolation. Notice how intentionally and carefully Jesus interacted with the man. Because he could not hear, touch became the basis for their communication and so Jesus placed his fingers upon the man’s ears and lips, indicating that he was focusing on these parts. Then the Lord placed saliva upon the man’s tongue, because it was thought to be a natural and powerful medicine, so it delivered a message of health and healing. Finally and thoughtfully, Christ groaned aloud so that the man could sense the vibrations of his voice and know he was being personally addressed. And when Jesus exclaimed, “Ephphatha!” the man was set free from the suffering of isolation and given a renewed life!
But you know, being deaf and mute are not the only ways in which the ears and lips can lead us into the prison of social isolation. It can also happen when those who are able to hear and speak choose to use these faculties in negative and destructive ways, such as by gossip and detraction. Such people often find themselves in a social isolation of their own making because no one likes to be around those who exude such negativity. And then there are also those who put others into social isolation by trying to silence them, closing their ears to hearing what someone is really trying to say. This can make the speakers feel invisible and that their thoughts don’t matter.
It’s also possible for such things to go beyond the personal and become a national problem. We’ve seen this happening in the past few years particularly via social media. Those who speak unpopular truths are maligned and silenced. Many who have a public voice speak lies and innuendos. There is no attempt to really listen to one another and to speak in a way that builds peace and promotes unity. Instead we see the virus of social isolation taking on a new and ugly form as it spreads and infects others, even causing social isolation to take place within families and in workplaces. All of these misuses and abuses of the lips and ears - whether in our private life or in the public forum - stand in need of healing. They all need to feel the touch of Jesus and hear him exclaim, “Ephphatha”! “Be opened!”
And this brings me back to the Ephphatha Rite in Baptism. We receive our own “ephphatha” at the beginning of our Christianity because it spiritually empowers us to become part of the healing solution to this divisive and isolating problem. Baptism washes away sin and the Ephphatha brings this cleansing grace to our speaking and our hearing. It isn’t there just for the sake of ceremony. It isn’t simply empty ritual symbolism. Rather, it makes us part of the on-going ever-present miracle of Christ, by bringing us into a participation in his healing ministry. Those of us who have had our ears and lips opened are called to pay it forward and spread the Lord’s “ephphatha” to those around us.
So, how do we do that? How do we ordinary everyday Christians pay it forward and do what we can to be Ephphatha healers? We do so most of all by ensuring that our own use of speech and of listening are guided by the supreme law of charity. We are to say the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them and so become a healing presence in a very broken world that is inhabited by very broken people. Following the instructions of St. James in our second reading, we are to speak and listen without showing any favoritism or partiality, accepting each person as someone who deserves to be heard and spoken to with respect. As Ephphatha Christians we strive to act in this way so that others can experience the touch of Christ through us, enabling him to open their ears to truly listen and open their lips to speak the truth.
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