Daily Readings - Sun Sep 09 2018
Isaiah
4Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
James
1My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.2For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,3and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet,"4have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?5Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Mark
31Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.32And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.33And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."35And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.36And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of God’s grace and the call to live as instruments of that grace in the world. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear a beautiful vision of hope and restoration. The prophet describes a time when the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the mute will speak. This is not just a physical healing but a spiritual one—a restoration of creation to its fullness. Isaiah reminds us that God’s salvation is not just for the soul but for the whole person, and it brings life even to the most desolate places.
The Gospel from Mark brings this vision to life in the person of Jesus. We see Jesus healing a man who is both deaf and mute. This miracle is not just an act of power; it is a sign of the kingdom of God breaking into the world. By healing the man, Jesus restores him to community and relationship, showing that God’s healing touches every part of human life. The man’s inability to hear and speak symbolizes the ways we are all disconnected from God and one another, and Jesus’ command, “Ephphatha” (“Be opened”), is an invitation to all of us to be opened to God’s grace and to the needs of others.
James, in the second reading, challenges us to live out this grace in our daily lives. He warns against favoritism and judgment, reminding us that true faith is not just about what we believe but about how we act. God has chosen the poor and the marginalized to be rich in faith, and we are called to see the world through God’s eyes. This means treating everyone with dignity and compassion, regardless of their circumstances. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Where am I in need of healing? How can I be an instrument of healing for others? May we, like the man in the Gospel, be opened to God’s grace and may we, in turn, open our hearts and hands to those around us.