Today, 6th of December, we celebrate
Saint Nicholas
First Reading: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
"Take ten pieces for yourself;
the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
'I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon's grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.'"
Israel went into rebellion against David's house to this day.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
R./ I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the Lord, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R./ I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R./ I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
R./ I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
Gospel Reading: Mark 7:31-37
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
“Ephphatha!”
The deaf and mute man in today’s Gospel is a symbol of humanity in general. Since he doesn’t listen to sounds and doesn’t hear words, he doesn’t learn how to make sounds and words either. People are deaf to the Word of God; they can’t understand, comprehend, or accept it and therefore, they are unable to communicate the voice of God.
“Ephphatha! ” Jesus commands. “Open up!” We have a closed man, and Jesus commands him to, “Open up.” His ears open, and the knot of the tongue is untied.
The thought of him having his tongue knotted is almost ridiculous. Jesus’ word lets it go. Today, as part of the complete rite of adult baptism, this rite is still celebrated. The priest touches the ears and mouths of the baptised after the other symbolic gestures like the anointing, the robe, and the light, saying: ‘May the Lord Jesus who makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak, grant you to hear his Word soon, and proclaim your faith to God’s glory.’
This deaf-mute man becomes the prototype of the catechumen, the one who attends the catechism in preparation to receive baptism, being open to listening to the Word and being open to announcing his faith. We want the Lord to continue to whisper this command into our ears, “Ephphatha”, that we become open to his Word and profess our faith through our words and deeds.
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