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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Isaiah 35:4-7 II: James 2:1-5

Gospel
Mark 7:31-37

³¹ Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decap'olis.
³² And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him.
³³ And taking him aside from the multitude 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, "Eph'phatha," 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."

Interesting Details

Tyre & Sidon were in the gentile area. Mark showed that Jesus was preaching to and healing the gentiles.
In Isaiah 35:5, "the ears of the deaf be cleared" is a sign that God liberates Israel. This miracle points to that passage and reveals that Jesus is the Messiah.
Spitting is a common gesture against evil, used by both common folk and healers.
"Ephphatha" is the original Aramaic word. People believed that the power is in the precise word of the healer, so Mark was careful in preserving the original word.
One reason why Jesus ordered people not to tell about the miracle is that people did not really understand Jesus, because people have not seen his passion, death, and resurrection.
Another reason to keep quiet was that His fame would surpass his humble birth and would create trouble for His ministry, as it happened eventually. It also troubled His family. Yet Jesus' nature is the savior so that it is recognized by all and cannot be hidden.

One Main Point

Jesus is the Savior who heals and liberates His people.

Reflections

How has Jesus touched me, healed me, and liberated me?
Do people see in me a reflection of Jesus' love and freedom, or something else?