Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”

Deaf-mute

1. Away from the crowd. To heal and learn to speak and listen to your own life, it’s necessary to distance yourself from the crowd, from things you have, from those worries that affect your heart and make you unable to listen and speak. When you’re in the midst of everyone, in a turmoil of noise and activities, you can’t express your feelings because you don’t know what’s going on around and within you; it’s as if you were in an “automatic” mode of life. Ask Jesus to help you to withdraw from your daily life, not only to calm down but to heal you, because this fast-paced lifestyle you lead has already made you sick. Move away from the crowd.

2. Ephatta. It means “Be opened!” In order to see and hear you must open yourself to God, to others and to everything life has to offer. You must change and open yourself to the new, without losing your essence. You must learn to listen to what others have to say and to what God says, to be able to speak in order to contribute to the lives of others.

3. Talking and listening: This person was in the middle of the crowd, but couldn’t express anything or participate, nor could he be receptive. This can happen to you when you isolate yourself and are afraid of everything or when you fall into the monotony of the same thing every day, not being passionate about anything or not finding joy in anything. That’s when you have to ask yourself, “How long has it been since I’ve listened to others and contributed positively to the lives of those around me?” Maybe you have been keeping quiet about many things because you don’t dare to speak up out of fear of what people will say. Don’t close yourself off; instead, open up in order to walk joyfully along the path of life. Ask Jesus to help you to listen and to speak.

Remember that something good is on the way!  

God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.