Jesus comes into a region of 10 cities, where he is brought a deaf man with a speech impediment.
Notice what Jesus does. He uses his physical body. He takes his fingers and sticks them into the ears of the deaf man, and puts his spittle on the man's tongue, and looks up to heaven and groans. Jesus is acting in his perfect humanity, he is loving with his body. And he projects himself onto the afflicted man, much like Elijah stretched himself out upon a child who had stopped breathing: "Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times and called out to the Lord: 'O Lord, my God, let the life breath return to the body of this child'" (1 Kings 17:21). Jesus takes our afflictions upon himself in compassion, ultimately in his passion, so that we might have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10).
Pseudo-Jerome writes that Tyre (where Jesus went through on the way to the ten cities) "is interpreted narrowness, and signifies Judea, to which the Lord said, 'For the bed is grown too narrow.'" In contrast, Jesus tells the deaf man to "be opened!" Bede writes that the deaf man signifies the one who has not ears to hear the word of God, nor lips to speak it; he must be opened by those who have heard and do speak, as the priest does for us at mass. But cannot "be opened" also mean to be opened from our ideologies, those little ideas that we hold on to and that separate us from reality in its fullness and from each other? Let us be opened to our neighbor. Let us be opened to reality in the totality of its factors! Let us be opened to the fullness of truth, found in Jesus, a person!
Lastly, the crowds spread the news of Jesus and were "exceedingly astonished", praising him for his miracles. The notes tell us that the reaction of the crowd implied that they got the fact that he was the savior. They may have had an experience similar to John the Baptist, to whom Jesus sent the following message as a response to John's questionings about whether Jesus was the one they were waiting for: "The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them" (Mt 11:5). How many miracles have we seen God work in our lives and in those of the people around us? Are we open enough to be astonished at what God does in our lives? Do we really get the point of His Merciful Love?
Lord, see our suffering and have compassion on us. When we are too narrow minded, open us up to the fullness of your truth and love. Help us to find in every event an a recognition of the depths of Jesus, in his humanity and divinity, in his saving Mystery. Help us too to reach out to others with bodily support - hugs are good - and compassion.
Mary, Virgin rightly praised, teach us to see the love of God at work in our lives. Renew our consciences with the power of Divine Mercy. Open us to a lively love of God and neighbor.
No comments:
Post a Comment