Everyone Can Proclaim Christ!

The scripture readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092715.cfm

One of the most interesting things in this day and age is the emergence of social media! Through websites and mobile applications, we can access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram just to name a few. It's hard to know how many of these sites are on the internet, but it would be safe to say they are in the hundreds!

Some of these sites have redefined the very meaning of friendship. It's possible to have "friends" whom we've never met and might never meet in person. With so many connections we find ourselves able to belong to many virtual communities or groups. While we tend to organize ourselves in groups or communities, God doesn't pay attention to divisions, treating each of us the same and giving the same benefits of membership to all.

In our first reading from the Book of Numbers we hear of those who were with Moses receiving the gift of God and able to prophesy. Two members of the community, Eldad and Medad were not with the others when they received the spirit and began prophesying. Out of jealousy, one young man complained to Moses that the two outsiders should be prevented from prophesying. Moses rightly rejected this complaint and offering his desire for inclusiveness. Moses stated that no one should be left out of God's spirit.

In our reading from St. James we hear the condemnation of those who are greedy and selfish and accumulate riches and wealth at the expense of others. The fact that the wealthy have cheated and taken advantage of their workers will not go unnoticed by God. The Scriptures leave us with a presumption that God will carry out appropriate justice toward those who made themselves wealthy at the expense of others.

In our reading from the gospel of St. Mark we see a similar jealousy that we saw in our first reading from Numbers. John came to Jesus to complain that someone who was not a member of the disciples expelling demons in the name of Jesus. As we see, Jesus has no problem with someone who was perceived as an outsider doing good in his name. "For whoever is not against us is for us." (Mark 9:40) Jesus doesn't make distinctions between "outsiders" and "insiders". There is no "in-crowd." But Jesus does make strong statements against those who would harm the faith of others.

In both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament we see that God wants to pour out blessings on all who desire them. Being a member of God's kingdom is not contingent on membership in a certain group, social group, or race. You don't need a special "membership card."

Jesus' call for his followers to spread the Good News is a universal call, calling for faith and willingness from those who follow him.

We are called to hear God's word and embrace Jesus' call for acceptance for all people. As we approach the Blessed Sacrament at the Lord's table let us celebrate his presence and receive nourishment and empowerment to carry out the mission which God calls us.

“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!”

Scripture readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090615.cfm


The five senses (touch, sight, taste, smell, and hearing) are necessary to communicate with the world as well as with anyone around us. When either one or another sense is not functioning properly, the body is impaired and the mind tries to compensate for the shortage. Imagine what would happen if all five senses were completely gone. One would probably surmise that our chances of remaining sane would quickly diminish.

Jesus heals the deaf-mute in order to bring all of us to our senses. The readings today emphasize the importance of witnessing to the kingdom of God through doing good deeds.

Justice is a hallmark of goodness. Isaiah pictures a setting where life will be peaceful and everything will be made right. This is the world that the redeemed can anticipate where "the eyes of the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf cleared." This promise is revealed to us for all creation. This leads to mercy for those sinners who have sincerely loved and place their trust in God. What are the obstacles that keep us from realizing the mercy of God?

In the letter from St. James, he is speaking to the Jewish-Christian community who allowed their intellectual pride to pass for true faith. Real faith is proved by doing good to others, especially to the poor. Faith without good deeds is useless. James goes on to condemn favoritism. People all too often look at the outward signs of wealth, appearance, manner of dress, and social status, rather than looking for the person's true character. We must come to our senses and realize that Christ is our  Lord and we must live and act by his values.

Jesus came into the world to be a servant of all. As a servant, he is called upon by the crowds to cure a deaf mute. In doing so, Jesus performs this miracle to emphasize the importance for being open to God's word and to practice our faith through doing good for others.

I often wondered why Jesus needed to cure this deaf/mute in private. There is probably two reasons for this: first, that Jesus respected the person's dignity for, when probing the ears and touching the tongue with spit, our Lord preferred this to performed away from the crowd, and second, that this healing needed a quiet place in order for the deaf-mute to respond audibly as well as verbally to our Lord.

You may recall the phrase "Actions speak louder than words!" Remember this the next time we are confronted with a situation that requires helping another. When someone is in need, they do not want discourse of excuses from us, but a helping hand to assist them. We must not let appearances get in the way of seeing Christ-like character in those whom we are called to help and assist. Let our senses help us move toward action.

In today's gospel Jesus healed the deaf mute because our Lord saw the need to alleviate suffering and pain through love and compassion. It is this message that Jesus conveys to us today. What is our response?

At Mass we receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. When we do so, may we reflect upon ways in which we can do good works. As Jesus shows no partiality, may we realize and hear our Lord's call to help those in need. May our Lord, in the Holy Eucharist, enlighten us to become more open to the need of others, particularly those who are in most need of the Lord's mercy.