Reading 1 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
"Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
'I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon's grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.'"
Israel went into rebellion against David's house to this day.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
R. (11a and 9a) I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
Gospel Mk 7:31-37
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
Meditation: Mark 7:31-37
“He has done all things well.” (Mark 7:37)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a healing as dramatic as the one Mark described here? It would be amazing to see the look on a deaf woman’s face as she hears her first words or to see a blind man gaze in awe and wonder as his eyes are opened. It’s too easy to confine God’s mighty acts to extraordinary events long gone. He acts just as powerfully every day—and in lives just like ours!
Some of us have speech impediments that hinder how, and how often, and to whom we talk about God. Thought and speech freeze up when opportunities arise, and we say nothing, only to endure our own reproaches later: “I should have said … Why didn’t I tell them …” Somehow, the words just never make it into sound, and we feel powerless.
Some of us have deaf ears or blind eyes that keep us from hearing the good news or seeing the kingdom of God around us. All we can see are the mundane realities of life. Nothing exciting ever happens, and we see no sign of the kingdom among us. And hearing the good news is reserved for Sunday mornings.
Some of us walk with a pronounced limp, habits of sin that we continually struggle against: anger, gossip, jealousy, judgment, lust, and the like. We resist and strive and repent, only to fall again. In our hearts, we long to soar like eagles, but all we seem able to do is trudge along on the ground.
Sometimes we just don’t look at ourselves and think: “God has done all things well, including me, with my own strengths, talents, and temperament.” But no matter how unlikely it seems, it is still undeniably true: God has done all things well. He did a good job of creating you. He has a good plan for your life. He even has a really good future in store for you in heaven!
Look at yourself in the mirror today and declare it: “God has done all things well—including me!” And if you immediately begin to think of arguments to counter that truth, recall today’s Gospel.
“Jesus, you know my life better than I know it myself. Touch my heart today and heal me.”
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