“He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7:37)
READING OF THE DAY
First reading from the Book of Isaiah
Is 35:4-7a
Thus says the LORD:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
Second reading from the Letter of James
Jas 2:1-5
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please, ”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 7:31-37
Again 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.”
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mk 7:31-37
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In the Word of God today, God reveals to all mankind His plan and His work. All of God's salvation for mankind has been arranged by God the Father since the beginning of creation til today and into the future, originating from His love for mankind.
God the Father always watches over mankind every second, every minute, in every breath of human life on this earth. God the Father is the Lord of all creatures, whether in the heavens above or on the earth below. All is in God the Father’s powerful hands. That is what God the Father wants people to thank, worship, and always trust and believe in Him.
As in the book of Isaiah, the prophet was inspired by the Spirit of God to speak His Word. He called on all people to trust and believe in God, especially when facing difficulties, challenges, disasters, and calamities, to courageously run to God; ask for His help, ask for His protection, ask for His powerful hand to support and protect you from the evils of Satan and their minions.
And until today, God has always accompanied and been with people. Because His Word has said: "I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This togetherness is realized when people have faith in Jesus Christ who died and rose again. This is the only thing God the Father left for people in the Salvation Work of Jesus Christ: for people to live in the Kingdom of Heaven, they must absolutely believe in Jesus Christ who died and was resurrected to atone for their sins.
Today's Word of God teaches people that: His power is supreme, He can do everything, He drives away Satan, and He heals all illnesses and disabilities among people. But, to receive the power and strength of God for ourselves, He wants people to believe, trust, and rely absolutely on the power of God. Because of that absolute trust, God can manifest His power on us. He can drive away Satan, heal all illnesses, and disabilities according to His will. As God always respects human freedom. This is what God the Father wants people to know, to listen,and to follow the will of God. This is what God the Father wants people to believe absolutely in Jesus Christ who is truly present. He is the true God and true man when He heals all illnesses and disabilities among the people; when He teaches good things that lead to eternal life; when He delivers the command of God the Father, when He sacrifices Himself to die and rise again to save all mankind.
Moreover, God also promised that He would be with mankind until the end of the world. That is His Word and He Himself is hidden in the small bread at the Holy Eucharistic Table, in the Eucharist to love, to nourish mankind. This is what God the Father calls people to have to believe, since it is the mysterious manifestation of His love for humanity. Without faith, people will live far from God, live in loneliness, and die at the hands of Satan.
Therefore, to be happy in the love of God the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven, He calls us when living on this earth: to run to God, practice the Word of God every day, worship God present in the Eucharist with firm trust, surrender, and hope in the power and strength of God the Supreme Father; Trust in His great power in the work of the Holy Spirit in the new era, the work of Sanctification of all creatures that He has created.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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