WORD ALIVE
The gospel episode for this 23rd Sunday relates about Jesus healing a deaf and, simultaneously, a mute man (Mark 7,31).
In his commentary on the episode, a biblical author William Barclay wrote, “Most people find deaf folks a nuisance. They sympathize with people who are blind and lame, but they get irritated and annoyed with people who are deaf. And the result is that deaf people are apt to avoid company and get more and more shut in.”
No wonder, Jesus took pity on the man and healed him. The great compassion of Jesus tells us that Jesus took the man away from the crowd, which showed his sensitivity to the situation of the embarrassed handicapped man.
We may not be able to make healing miracles like Jesus did, but we certainly can help. For instance, there are civic organizations that provide special learning centers for the handicapped. We may not work directly in such centers but we can help by contributing financial assistance for their upkeep and various needs.
While we are thankful to the Lord for our health in speech and hearing, we should not abuse them. This can be done by lying, by calumny or slander or when we destroy the good name of others through false statements or telling the faults of someone in order to ruin him or her.
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There is a story of a priest who gave penance to a known gossiper when she came for confession. He told her to bring a bag full of feathers up a tall building and throw them in the air. “After doing that,” the priest said, “go down and collect all the feathers.
“But Father, that’s impossible to do,” the lady protested. “They’ve been scattered by the wind to far-flung places.” “That’s right,” the priest replied. “That’s what you do every time you talk bad or slander your fellowmen.”
An ugly rumor or destructive gossip that's carelessly passed on, can never be recalled. But the harm is done.
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Another lesson of this Sunday gospel is that we can be spiritually deaf. This can happen when we do not want to admit our mistakes and wrongdoings. This is shown, for instance, when perpetrators of a crime refuse to admit it or try to cover it up.
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Let’s ask ourselves. Are we grateful to God for our healthy faculties and show it by helping the handicapped? Are we deaf to our own faults and failings?
Let’s emulate the compassion of Jesus Christ.
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Mother Mary’s birthday, SVD Foundation Day. The Society of the Divine Word (SVD), to which I belong, marks its 164th Foundation Anniversary on Sept. 8. German founder St. Arnold Janssen had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother; thus, he chose to launch his mission congregation on her birthday.
The SVD ranks fifth, largest among all the male religious congregations worldwide.
To date there are about 200 Filipino SVD priests and religious brothers working in 45 countries, making the SVD the biggest missionary-sending congregation in the Philippines.
SVD priests and brothers in the Philippines, who comprise the biggest number among the male religious congregations, are involved in the apostolates of parishes, seminaries, schools, justice and peace, mass media all the way from Northern Cagayan, Ilocos Region, Metro Manila, Legazpi, Albay, Palawan, Cebu, Leyte, Bohol, Surigao, Agusan, Ipil.
Please pray for all SVDs working in the Philippines and abroad.