Jesus brings hearing unto this man’s ears and speech unto this man’s lips. Prior to this account this man would be cut off from the community because of his lack of ability to hear and speak. It is only through the Lord’s compassion that He says, “Be opened.” It was upon this action that this man was made whole and sent forth from Him to live a life of faith that was rooted in Christ and thus a life which has turned away from sin.
From the Book of Psalms we hear, “They have ears, and hear not; they have a mouth, and speak not.” This is made in reference to sinners who have closed themselves off from God and His mercy. The way of the sinner is a fatal path which leads us away from God and closes us off to the gift of His grace. Instead of turning our senses away from God we must use them to give glory to God in thought, word, and deed.
As we are told in the Gospel of Luke, “He that hears you, hears Me; and he that despises you, despises Me.” It is through sin that we rebel against God. Rather, we must attune our ears in order that they may hear. It is for this reason that prayer is pivotal for us. Prayer holds in communion with God in order that we may know Him. Through prayer we are consoled in the midst of sorrow, through prayer we are given strength in the midst of temptation, and through prayer we come to know God.
In our Gospel the Lord took this man away from the crowd. This gesture removed him from the distractions of everyday life. So too we must learn to go off by ourself in order to pray. The world is filled with so many distractions which keep us from God and keep us from placing our trust in Him. At times there may seem to be so much which comes against us which attempts to pull us away from God. Instead of giving into these distractions let us turn towards God in a spirit of prayer.
We must also entrust ourself to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So often the Holy Spirit goes forgotten in our practice of faith. Nevertheless, the Lord “put His fingers into his ears, and spitting, He touched his tongue.” As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then is the kingdom of God upon you.” It is the Spirit of God which we must allow to enter into our life in order that we may come to be enlightened in all that is true.
Let us never relapse into a former way of life that we may of known before coming to know Christ. He touches us in our misery in order that healing may be brought into our life and that we may be sent forth from here in order to sin no more. Let us be strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit and place our trust in God in a spirit of prayer. Make use of the sacrament of confession and be absolved of all of your sins. Truly, allow the Lord to say upon you, “Ephpeta that is, Be thou opened.”
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