In the scripture readings this Sunday we are reminded of our Christian duty of care for the oppressed. The poor and marginalised can sometimes be stigmatised or excluded in our society but Jesus made no such distinctions between classes of people during his ministry. Large crowds followed him as he cured people of all kinds of sickness, and many who begged to touch even the fringe of his garment and were healed. Indeed Jesus made the poor ‘rich in faith’ as he proclaimed in the Beatitudes:-“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
In the Gospel from St. Mark today we hear another story where Jesus reaches out to the excluded. A deaf man who also had a speech impediment is brought to him. Taking him aside on his own, away from the crowd, Jesus puts his fingers into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with spittle. Then with his eyes directed towards heaven he says to the man, ‘Ephphatha,’ which means, ‘Be opened.’ And we are told that immediately “his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly”. The people were amazed and news of the miracles Jesus worked spread widely through the surrounding towns and villages “he has done all things well…he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak”.
The other readings today follow a similar theme to the Gospel, speaking of God’s care for the poor and the oppressed. In the First Reading from the prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s promise of salvation to his people, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed”. The psalm is a song of praise showing the Lord’s faithfulness to the oppressed “It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind, who raises up those who are bowed down”, while the Second Reading from the Letter of Saint James warns against making distinctions between classes of people for it was the poor that God chose “to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him”.
Perhaps in today’s society we can sometimes be deaf to the words of Jesus. It may not be a physical deafness, but sometimes we fail to hear the cry of the poor or those in need. Today’s readings challenge us to consider those who are poor or in need, and to create a more just society. Often we are so accustomed to listening to the many messages we need to hear in our daily lives, that we have little space for listening to Jesus and responding to his call to us in the Gospel. We each have been blessed with many gifts and talents. Our gifts of hearing and speech enable us to communicate and give witness of God’s love, to listen to and proclaim God’s Word. And we need silence to truly hear what God is saying to us in our lives. As Christians we should reach out to one another in goodness and love, especially to those who are on the margins of society. When we to listen to the cry of the oppressed and recognise those who suffer we are truly fulfilling the great commandment “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. As Bl. Teresa of Calcutta said:
“There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them”.
