Church of the
Annunciation

Last week I saw my doctor for my yearly check up. He spent ten minutes with me just asking how things were going and how did I feel before any examination of my body. I left with a sense that his philosophy of good health entailed harmony of body, heart, mind and soul. Jesus in the Gospel according to Mark heals a man deaf and mute. The place is significant. It happens in the area of the “10 Cities” – a location apart from the Jewish community. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd. He focuses his attention on him as a person; touches his ears and tongue and speaks powerfully: “Be open.” The man can hear and speak; then strangely Jesus tells him don’t tell anyone -- really an impossible thing for the man to do. Why? The context of the Gospel helps us to understand why Jesus bids him to refrain from telling people about the healing. Indeed that is exactly why many folks are coming to Jesus to have him perform a miracle. Jesus will soon explain to those who accompany him that if they wish to follow him they must go with him to the cross. Only then, with the Roman centurion, will they be able to see Jesus and proclaim that he is truly the Son of God. Often we speak without full understanding. A bride and groom can talk about the joy of being married but a couple who have lived their vow of love and fidelity for 50+ years will have a greater depth of experience and know better the importance of a spiritual bond in their relationship. Strangely, when love is mature and tested, fewer words need to be said and then spoken with gentleness. We hear the same words of Jesus at Mass today: “Be open” to the coming of God when the deaf hear, the mute speak, the blind see, the lame leap for joy and rivers burst forth in the desert (Isaiah); be open to hearing the living Word of God; be open to and welcoming of the poor in our assembly (letter of St. James); be open to God’s intervention in our lives; and be open to the healing touch of Jesus Christ.