“The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute speak, may he soon touch your ears to receive His Word and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

This is the beautiful prayer that is said after a child is baptized as part of the explanatory rites— those rites that take place after the actual baptism and that are intended to explain what God’s grace has accomplished in the individual who was baptized. It is part of a ritual that is called the “Ephphatha” and during which the celebrant of the sacrament of Baptism touches the ears and the mouth of the young person who has been baptized. The rite takes its name from the word that Jesus uses in today’s Gospel reading when he cures the deaf and the mute man. As he touches the ears and mouth of the deaf and mute man, he says “Ephphatha,” which in Aramaic means “be open.” In today’s Gospel, after Jesus has touched the man’s ears and mouth, the man is cured and he and others begin to proclaim the marvellous works of God, saying: “He has done everything well, he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

For most parents, when I explain this ritual to them in the baptismal preparation meeting, there is a look of curiosity on their faces as I can see them thinking to themselves: “Why is this ritual necessary for my child, my child is not deaf or mute?” What is its possible significance?”

My response to this is very simple: “Each and every single one of us is spiritually deaf and mute as a result of original sin.”

Original sin has deafened us to the very simple reality that we have each and everyone of us been made in the image and likeness of God and are intended to be temple’s of God’s Holy Spirit. Because we do not hear the message of our dignity as persons who are God’s children, we often live in a world that we allow to tell us our value is dependent upon our income, the colour of our skin or what we have accomplished. Too frequently what we hear and take as a reliable indication of our value is what we read and see in the media or what people tell us in our work place or school. Almost from the moment we can begin to comprehend, we are overpowered by false messages about our value as human beings and worth in the world. Little girls are told that they are valuable only if they fit into a certain model. There is a similar stereotype that is applied to little boys. These stereotypes and prejudices are applied to every stage of life. Society tells us who has value and who does not. Old and sick people are led to believe that they are no longer valuable because they no longer produce anything and do not contribute to society. Those who are near the end of their earthly pilgrimage are told that they are near the end of their existence. Sadly, bullying takes place in almost every area of life and words are used to control and condition the way each of us act. With all of the overwhelming human voices that we hear, we can become deaf to the one Word about us that counts, the one Word that has value and truth.

The only Word about us that really has truth and value is that which God spoke to us in the person of His Son, the Word made flesh. God’s Word to us is simple and perfect. This Word announces that we are loved beyond all measure and have been made with an eternal value that has been bestowed on us by our heavenly Father. God’s Word to us is that we are eternal and that we have value no matter what this world tells us. Whether we are sick, young, old, male or female, white, black, green or purple, God’s Word speaks of His unconditional love for us. The way God’s Word ought to effect us is beautifully articulated by the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading. The prophet speaks of the impact that God’s Word should have as it is spoken to us as he says: “Say to those who are of fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’” If our ears are cleared to hear God’s Word, His message is that He has overcome all that we will suffer in this world. By His resurrection, He will restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, life and freedom to the dead and oppressed. To those who mourn the message is that we will see our loved ones again and never be separated from them in Heaven. The Word of God is intended to shatter the deafness that has been created by the overwhelmingly negative messages of our consumeristic material society. By being open to the freeing Word of God we will hear what our true dignity is and experience the freedom of knowing we have been created by a loving Father for an eternal love.

Original sin has not only effected the way in which we hear in this world, it has sadly effected the way that we often speak. Fear, jealousy, envy, pride, sloth and all of the other types of sin can easily take a hold of our tongues. Caught in a lie, fearful of being thought badly of, hoping to defend our honour, we can all of us be led to say stupid, hurtful and disrespectful things. Sometimes we can even hear teachers and parents shrieking at children using the worst names as they try and tell them how to speak and act properly. There are so many patterns of speech which take away from the value of a person— gossip, name calling and back biting. Happily, many schools have recently introduced anti-bullying policies and I think every parent should speak to their young people about this as we begin a new school year. However, the words of teachers and parents have no value if they themselves do not give good example. St. James reminds us in the second reading how we can classify people with our words and act as though some people are more important than others by putting people into different categories. The Christian is not to see a person as valuable or worthwhile because of their financial status or titles. Christians are to see the value of every human being as made in the image and likeness of God. This is why Pope Francis has written so profoundly about the need to reach out to all people and speak of the dignity that belongs to every human being— rich or poor, old or young, born or unborn. Christians are to speak of the Joy of the Gospel by announcing the value each human being has as a child of God.

Once our ears have been opened to the Good News of our own value as children of God, we are to pray that our mouths may also be open to speak to others of the reality that they too are valued by God in this way. The Psalmist proclaims: “Praise the Lord my soul!” To praise means to speak well of God or His creation. Part of our responsibilities as Christians is to speak the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection to those who are suffering and have lost a loved one. Jesus has overcome all illness and even death. Ultimately we will rise with Him. Speaking well does not mean that we just say flowery and untrue things to people. It can mean lovingly challenging people to behave in a way that respects their dignity before God. It can mean challenging in a loving way the addict to get help and be free from an addiction or a loved one to stop allowing themselves to be treated in an abusive manner. The prayer to have our mouths opened to speak God’s Word challenges all of us to find the freedom and ability to speak to others of the value they have in God’s eyes and not the eyes of our fallen world.

The nature of our fallen world is such that it is very difficult for all of us to hear God’s Word of love for us and to grasp the dignity that it calls us to recognize about ourselves. It is even more difficult for us to speak of this value to our brothers and sisters. Too often opposing motivations effect the way we speak and value others. We need help to accept God’s Word about ourselves and speak His word of love to others. This help comes to us in many different ways. I think the most important way for us to be aware of God’s Word is to be regular readers of the Bible. Here we find God’s Word expressed for the different ways in which we live our own lives. The more we know Jesus and His scriptures, the more we will be aware of His love for us and not be deafened to it by the false values of our world. Bibles for children and our own scripture reading play a fundamental role in allowing us to truly hear God’s Word. At the beginning of this new school year, it can be a great time to find time for scripture reading. There are even podcasts and recorded versions of scripture that make it possible to listen to God’s Word while driving or riding on the TTC. Nothing can be more calming then listening to God’s Word as we make our way through traffic.

One of the boldest proclamations that Jesus makes to us of how much He cares for us and loves us is the manner in which he gives Himself totally every time that we receive the Eucharist. This clearly illustrates His unconditional and total love for us and realizes His desire that we all be “temples of His Holy Spirit.”

It is equally important that we pay attention to the way we speak. As a new school year begins, parents, teachers and young people— in fact all of us— can take some time to examine how we speak to others. Do we follow the advise we give to others about bullying? Are we ever guilty of the sin of pronouncing judgement on people because of their tittles, income, clothes or appearance in the way we hear St. James warning us about in today’s second reading? When we find ourselves in patterns of speech that are overly hateful, racist or prejudiced, it may be we need the sacrament of Reconciliation so that God’s grace can free us to see our brothers and sisters in the way God invites us to see all people, made in his image and likeness.

When our ears are truly opened to hear God’s Word of love and salvation about us, we come to see ourselves and our world in a completely different light. It causes us to speak words of love and hope and to be free of the hatred and defensive ways of relating that can often bind and scar our relationships with others. What a beautiful world it would be if we could all hear God’s Word of love for us and open our hearts to speak these words to our brothers and sisters.

“The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute speak. May He soon touch OUR ears to receive His word and OUR mouths to proclaim His faith, to the praise and the glory of God the Father.”

Fr. Michael McGourty – Pastor