HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
The Invitation
Why does Jesus take the deaf man off by himself away from the crowd? Jesus wants to be alone with him, away from the noise and activity of the crowd. He wants to be able to communicate with him in silence and solitude. Jesus invites me also to go away from the crowd, away from other people and distractions, in order to pray. Jesus invites me to be alone with him so that he can reveal himself to my soul and heal the impediments that keep me from communicating his love and truth to others.
Many times, in the Gospel, Jesus works a miracle with a mere word. But sometimes he performs miracles with a physical act, as in this case, when he puts his finger into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with spittle. What are we to make of this? What can we learn from it?
Many times, our healing requires a human effort. Action must be taken. We are not purely spiritual beings, but body and spirit woven into one. So, our physical side plays a part.
- We kneel to pray.
- We go into the presence of the Blessed sacrament.
- We try to read Scripture.
We do all of these physical things so that our entire being, both body and soul, can be healed of sin and grow closer to Christ.
The fruit of this encounter with Christ and of the effort that Christ makes is clarity – plain speech. The fog of imperfection is removed and the deaf-mute begins to speak with the clarity and forcefulness of truth – so much so that the people are astounded.
If I have truly encountered Christ, the fog that veils my mind and muddles my speech will be removed. The double-edge sword of God’s truth will shine through my words and actions so much so that people will be astounded, especially if I make the effort to set aside some time to pray away from the business of the day.
May the Lord bless and protect you, your families and loved ones
May you have the stillness of the Lord!
