Daily Readings - Sun Sep 09 2018
Isaiah
4Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.6Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.7And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
James
1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Mark
31And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.32And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.33And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;34And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.35And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.36And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;37And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to 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.