Food for the soul: Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened

September 5, 2021

Happy Sunday everyone. This is the first Sunday of the month of September and I hope and pray that we welcome September with a prayerful heart. Let's give thanks to the Almighty Father and pray that He will continue to bless us and guide us each and everyday of our life. I know it is quite challenging for most of us to go to church and attend the mass because of the pandemic still happening around us but I hope this article of mine every Sunday will help you feed your hungry soul. Yes, it is right our soul is hungry as well for spiritual food thus we must learn to feed it as well. If you believe what I have said you can continue and read today's Holy Gospel.

Holy Gospel

Mark 7:31-37

Returning from the territory of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon towards the Lake of Galilee, right through the Decapolis territory. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside to be by themselves, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man's ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.' And his ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they proclaimed it. Their admiration was unbounded, and they said, 'Everything he does is good, he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.'

Source

Reflection

Today's gospel talks about the deaf man and how God opened his ears and loosened his tongue. It reminded us of how powerful God really is and how we needed him in our life. Today's gospel I would be sharing only two points of my reflection, which is the highlighted words above, the deaf man and how God healed him saying Ephphatha.

Deaf man

If we look from the realities of a deaf man, he could not hear because he is deaf at the same time he is mute. He is mute because he is deaf. It is simply because he could not hear anything that's why he could not say anything. He doesn't have anything to learned especially words because he can't hear any sounds thus making him unable to speak. If you could observe a deaf-mute individual, they couldn't perform task that is stated through words because they can't hear and communicate as well.

Sometimes in life we are just like deaf and mute man. Deaf to the needs of others and mute to share the message of the Lord.

• Deaf to the needs of others

We sometimes become deaf to the needs of others, a need of help, a need of someone to share, a need of someone to listen, a need to be understood, a need to loved, a need to be cared and a need to just be kind to them in words and in actions. As the well known saying goes, "no man in an island", simply saying to us that you are not here in this word for yourself alone. That your purpose is for the others to have someone to lean on. Remember a tree would not bare fruits for itself but to the people who are hungry. The well does not produce water for the well to drink but the people who are thirsty. Meaning the purpose of the Lord for having you in this world is for the service of others. Therefore my dear brothers and sisters in Christ do not be deaf of the need of others and respond as the situation calls you. May it be material things or not.

• Mute from sharing the message of the lord

Often times we are like this mute from sharing God's message to other people. Yes, we go to the church and listen the gospel of the Lord but oftentimes we fail to share it to other people. I myself is guilty of this sometimes, for I am afraid of judgement from other people. We are like mute that couldn't talk to others and share the goodness of the Lord in our everyday life. Remember your purpose, to become a living proof of how the goodness of the Lord works in everyone of us.

When life seems to be making as deaf and mute let us be like the deaf man in the gospel who asked help from Jesus. And let us believe that from that moment that we surrender ourselves from the Lord there will be a great miracle that would happen unto our life.

Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened

Be opened. Be enlighten. Be save. Be showered by miracle. That's how God perform his goodness to us if we just surrender ourselves to him.

• We will be opened

Opened to the reality of the world. Be opened towards the needs of other people. Be opened to listen, and communicate. Hear his goodness and share his goodness. Be opened and it will change us to a new person, to a new soul.

• We will be enlighten

Enlighten of our true purpose in life that we are here to serve the others. We are here to listen and share the goodness of the Lord, and that we must not be like a deaf-mute man.

• Be save

Be save from the sinfulness from being neglectful towards the needs of others and unable to do the real purpose that we have. Let us all be save from being deaf and mute instead become the vessel of love, sharing, and service.

• Be showered by miracle

Being healed of the illness of being deaf-mute is a great miracle showered only by God if you allow him to do it. If you go to him and asked his help. Because he is the one who could perform great miracle in our life. A miracle that would change our life fully.

Closing thought

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as much as possible we will not let ourselves become deaf-mute man who can't hear the needs of others and can't share the goodness of the Lord but then human as we are full of sinfulness and easily fall short, I hope and pray that we will never have a second thought to asked Jesus for help, asked the Lord God in heaven for a miracle. For him to opened ourselves and hear again the needs of others and could share again the goodness of the Lord. The Lord is the only one who could renew our souls fully thus we surrender ourselves to him.

God bless our souls and happy Sunday. Thank you for reading.

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