Daily Catholic Mass Readings for September 9, 2018
First Reading: Isaiah 35.4-7
4say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.7The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
Psalm 146
1Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,6the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,8the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.9The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.10The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
Second Reading: James 2.1-5
1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Gospel: Mark 7.31-37
31Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ).35At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.37People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "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.