Ephphatha! Be opened!
What barriers keep
us from salvation?
In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God promises the people of Israel that he comes to save them; in so doing God will remove the barriers
that keep them from being faithful to him, opening their eyes and ears so that
they can experience in the very depth of their hearts all that God is calling
them to. Then the tongue of the mute will sing the praises of their God who wants
them to be fruitful, as the land will be fruitful when streams burst forth in the desert. Psalm 146 recognizes this promise of salvation
as well, enumerating all the ways God saves
God’s people, securing justice for
the oppressed, food for the hungry, sight for the blind, and more! Like the text from Isaiah, the psalm is a
call to praise the Lord for removing
all the barriers that stood in the way of salvation.
When, in Mark’s
Gospel, Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah – then will the ears of the deaf be cleared – this healing is
evidence that the messianic age has come:
salvation is at hand! Jesus’
healing gesture is intrusive at best: he
puts his finger into the man’s ears and,
spitting, touches his tongue.
Why? Jesus reaches in to remove
the barriers that keep this man from praising God; although he has presumably
never heard a human voice before, the man’s healing allows him to speak plainly, learning all that is
necessary for speech in an instant. He
too can now proclaim what God has
done for him: salvation!
The healings of
Jesus know no partiality; everyone
can be saved, from the lowliest to the most powerful. Moreover, Jesus’ healings reestablish
connection, restoring to the afflicted their full place in community. Jesus makes no distinction, and we are called to do the same, the Letter of James
tells us. Jesus, reaching into our
humanity, takes down all barriers, for salvation, in all its forms, is meant for
all. If only our response were as
immediate as that of the formerly deaf man when Jesus exclaims, Be opened!
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordle.net
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