Jesus Tells Us: Be Opened: From Silence to Faith

Jesus Tells Us: Be Opened: From Silence to Faith In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus travels through the pagan region . . . . . . of Decapolis, near the Sea of Galilee, where a man who is deaf and unable to speak is brought to him. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd, touches his ears and tongue, looks to heaven, and says “Be opened.” The man is immediately healed and begins to hear and speak clearly. Though Jesus asks for silence, the people proclaim the miracle with amazement. Drawing on the teaching of Saint Augustine, the Homily explains that Christ’s actions are never merely physical; they reveal a deeper spiritual reality. The miracle symbolizes humanity’s spiritual deafness . . . especially in a world dominated by secular values such as wealth, pleasure, and power. Just as the man could not speak until he first heard, people today cannot proclaim God’s truth unless they first listen to His Word. Encounter God Personally Jesus’ act of taking the man away from the crowd signifies the need to step out of worldly noise to encounter God personally. Having “heard” Christ and received Him . . . especially in the Eucharist . . . believers are sent forth to evangelize. The most convincing witness is not words alone but a transformed life, particularly how Christians face suffering and challenges with hope and courage. By living differently from the world, they “radiate Christ” and show that faith, not material success, is what truly matters. Listen to this Homily on faith! Jesus Tells Us: Be Opened: From Silence to Faith ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Art Work Healing of the Blind Man by Jesus Christ: Danish Painter: Carl Bloch: 1871 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gospel Reading: Mark 7: 31-37 First Reading: 1 Kings 11: 29-32; 12: 19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why was this image selected: Though depicting another healing, this image emphasizes the one-on-one encounter with Christ, mirroring the Gospel’s detail that Jesus leads the man away from the crowd to heal him personally . . . an image of individual spiritual awakening.