Sepember 5th - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Is 35:4-7a; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31–37)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus once again is approached by people who care about someone who is ailing. In most of the healing miracles, this is the case. It is not the great faith of the person who is suffering, which allows the healing to happen – it is the faith of their friends, families, or masters who come to Jesus on behalf of these people. It is interesting to note that many times, as with the miracle just preceding this one, Jesus simply says the word and the person is healed. He doesn’t even need to be in the vicinity of the person at all. There is something different about this case, though. It is as though healing this man’s hearing and speech requires much more physical connection than other miracles He has done. There is nothing to indicate why the healing for this man would be more complex than the previous healing miracles, but Jesus knows the needs of each case and responds accordingly. The man is healed in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prediction in the first reading. Even though Jesus strictly commands the man and His friends not to tell others what He has done, they simply cannot help themselves. The news is too good not to be shared.

• In the first reading, Isaiah tells us to “Be strong, fear not!” What do you fear? What causes you anxiety? How do you deal with this?
• In the second reading, we are challenged not to pass judgment based on appearances or worldly wealth. Do you struggle with judgment based on appearances? How do you master this?
• In the healing miracles, people brought their loved ones to Jesus and trusted Him to take care of them. Who do you need to bring to Jesus for healing? Do you feel that your prayers are not doing enough to help them?