From: Mark 7:31-37

The Curing of a Deaf Man

[31] Then [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to
the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. [32] And they brought
Him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they be-
sought Him to lay His hand upon him. [33] And taking him aside from the mul-
titude privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his
tongue; [34] and looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,”
that is, “Be opened.” [35] And his ears were opened, his tongue was released,
and he spoke plainly. [36] And He charged them to tell no one; but the more
He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [37] And they were
astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; He even
makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

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Commentary:

32-33. Sacred Scripture quite often shows the laying on of hands as a gesture
indicating the transfer of power or blessing (cf. Genesis 48:14ff; 2 Kings 5:11;
Luke 13:13). Everyone knows that saliva can help heal minor cuts. In the lan-
guage of Revelation fingers symbolized powerful Divine action (cf. Exodus 8:19;
Psalm 8:4; Luke 11:20). So Jesus uses signs which suit in some way the effect
He wants to achieve, though we can see from the text that the effect—the instan-
taneous cure of the deaf and dumb man—far exceeds the sign used.

In the miracle of the deaf and dumb man we can see a symbol of the way God
acts on souls: for us to believe, God must first open our heart so we can listen
to His word. Then, like the Apostles, we too can proclaim the “magnalia Dei”,
the mighty works of God (cf. Acts 2:11). In the Church’s liturgy (cf. the hymn
“Veni Creator”) the Holy Spirit is compared to the finger of the right hand of God
the Father (”Digitus paternae dexterae”). The Consoler produces in our souls,
in the supernatural order, effects comparable to those which Christ produces
in the body of the deaf and dumb man.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Isaiah 35:4-7 ©

Say to all faint hearts,

‘Courage! Do not be afraid.

Look, your God is coming,

vengeance is coming,

the retribution of God;

he is coming to save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

the ears of the deaf unsealed,

then the lame shall leap like a deer

and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy;

for water gushes in the desert,

streams in the wasteland,

the scorched earth becomes a lake,

the parched land springs of water.

Psalm	Psalm 145:6-10 ©

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,

who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

and upholds the widow and orphan.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who loves the just

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

Zion’s God, from age to age.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

Second reading	James 2:1-5 ©

My brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and say, ‘Come this way to the best seats’; then you tell the poor man, ‘Stand over there’ or ‘You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.’ Can’t you see that you have used two different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and corrupt judges at that?

Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

Gospel Acclamation	1S3:9,Jn6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Mt4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom

and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 7:31-37 ©

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. 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 in private, 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 the ligament 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 published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’