There, a deaf man, who also had difficulty in speaking, was brought to him. They asked
Jesus to lay his hand upon him. Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into
the man’s ears, and touched his tongue with spittle. Then, looking up to heaven, he said
with a deep sigh, “Ephphata!” that is, “Be opened!” And immediately, his ears were
opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. Jesus ordered them
not to tell anyone about it; but the more he insisted, the more they proclaimed it.
The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he
makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
Reflect
“Be open.” Openness is a fundamental attitude we need to observe if we want to
expand our missionary sphere. Being open is akin to having a listening attitude.
The Gospel today narrates how Jesus healed a deaf man with a speech impediment.
Jesus cured the man by first dealing with his deafness. Only after when Jesus cured the
man’s deafness was the man able to speak clearly. The Gospel narrates that for the
healing of the man’s deafness and speech impediment, Jesus uttered, “Ephphata!” The
Gospel explains the meaning of Ephphata, which is “Be open.” We are called to
proclaim the hope of the Gospel in today’s confused and troubled world. We need to
speak clearly as we convey its message. But before we are able to proclaim the
Gospel’s message with clarity, we first need to hear and understand it clearly.
Moreover, when we are open, we see more possibilities and we will not simply be
bogged down even when we are confronted with apparently hopeless situations.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024