If we imagine to live some three days with out being able to hear and to speak then we would be aware that such a situation is very difficult for us. To be deaf and dumb is a painful tragedy which many people have to face today.
Jesus has helped many deaf to hear and many dumb to speak. Touch was an important means of healing for Jesus. It means not only a bodily touch, but also an inner touch. But Jesus healed people not only by touch, but also through his words for which today’s gospel bear witness with the expression: Ephphatha.
“Ephphatha” means “Be opened!“.
Immediately the man could start speaking. He and those who experienced this miracle spread the news about the great deeds of Jesus in the surroundings. The one who was healed by Jesus and could hear and speak was highly inspired to proclaim as St Paul said in the letter to the 1 Corrinthians chapter 9 verse 16: „ For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!“.
In the Ceremony of the baptism of the Catholic Church there is not only the rite with water, but also many other rites and symbols namely anointing with oil, handing over the white cloth, handing ever the burning candle, “Ephphatha“ rite etc. In the rite of “Ephphatha“ the priest touches the ears and lips of the child and calls the child with the name saying: „May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak, grant that you may soon receive his word with your ears and profess the faith with your lips, to the glory and praise of God the Father” (OBC, 65)“ During preparation to baptism some parents asks about the meaning of this rite. The origin of this rite is today’s gospel in which Jesus touched and healed a man and said to him: Ephphatha.
The Effata rite was introduced in baptism for the reason that all baptized Christians who enter into communion with Jesus, are particularly touched by Jesus, are convinced of him and his message and can then proclaim Jesus through word and deed. Those baptized in this way are awake and sensitive to hear the message of God and to confess it. Listening, listening and hearing the nuances are important aspects of understanding the message and being able to advocate for it. Through mindful listening and listening in all areas and places of life God can speak to us in all our listening. Every event of life and our everyday life is a place to hear and proclaim the Word of God.
We can think about how we listen and hear the nuances in various situations of everyday life, pronounce, speak and proclaim what corresponds to the message of Christ and the Christians in order to make everyday life and coexistence, harmonious, peaceful, loving and worth living.
Jesus meant with Ephphatha not only the opening of the ear and mouth but also of a spiritual opening. The expression opening is common which we hear in many occasions: for example opening of the walls by the unification of Germany in 1989, opening of the boundary in the formation of European Union, opening of the windows by the second Vatican council, opening of the industry in the globalisation of business, opening of the heart in the human and moral concerns etc. Opening oneself is an important aspect for human relations and for a happy life.
In my opinion, being content and mindful of yourself and showing a heart for your fellow human beings is particularly important for a fulfilled life.
In order to achieve this, I would like to say “open up” to God and to each other in the hearts, “open up” to live kind-hearted, loving and peaceful.
Fr. Joseph Pandiappallil MCBS