Ephphatha—Be Opened

Sept. 8, 2024

In today’s Gospel Jesus encounters a man who is both deaf and has a speech impediment. Those who knew and loved this man implore Jesus to lay hands on him and heal him. Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears, and spitting, touched his tongue. He then said to the man, “Ephphatha—Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and his speech impediment was removed.
    
I know that this Gospel speaks to members of our Deaf Community in a very personal way, but it is also intended for us. Are we hearing impaired when it comes to the Word of God? Do we allow the Word to enter into our hearts and minds and souls, or is it like, in the Parable of the Sower, that the Word cannot take root, or is choked out by the weeds of sin and distraction?

The reason that the man had a speech impediment was because of his hearing impediment. Because he could not hear properly, he could not speak properly. Only when his hearing was healed was he able to speak. We cannot speak the word of God to our children, to our friends, etc. if we have not heard that Word. This is not because of a physical problem, but because of a spiritual problem. 
    
We need to ask the Lord to heal our spiritual deafness so that we can hear His Word, and to empower us to be bearers of God’s Word to others.  
—Fr. Mike Comer