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.
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