Our Lady of Lourdes

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

1 kings 11:29-32; 12-19

 Once, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem,

The prophet Ahi­jah of Shiloh found him on the road. The two of them were alone in the open country   when Ahijah, who had a new gar­ment on, clutched and tore it into twelve pieces.  He then said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself for this is the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel:

‘I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hands   to give you ten tribes. Only one tribe shall be left to him for the sake of my servant David and Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to the present time.

  

Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15

I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊    

Mark 7:31-37

 Again Jesus set out; from the country of Tyre he passed through Sidon and skirting the sea of Galilee he came to the territory of Decapolis.   There a deaf man who also had difficulty in speaking was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him.

Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle.   Then, looking up to heav­en, he groaned and said to him, “Eph­phetha,” that is, “Be open­ed.”

And his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.  Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone, but the more he insisted on this, the more they proclaimed it.   The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

 

  Gospel Reflection：

Hardworking God

Unlike yesterday, when we saw Jesus hardly doing anything to effect healing, today, he is into hard labor-he takes the man aside, puts his fingers into his ears, touches his tongue with spittle, sighs deep, orders “Ephphata!”why such hard work?

Whereas the woman came to Jesus with a solid faith and unfailing openness, today’s deaf man was brought merely for blessing, probable with no exPectation of cure. The man had become uncommunicative, passive, and shut off.

Jesus had to engage him at a deeper level, touch his person, and order “be opened! an order not merely directed to his senses, but to his very being. Isn’t good news to know that Jesus does not give up on us, despite our periodic shutting down? Just as his Father goes on working, so does Jesus (Jn 5:17) to open us up to God’s grace and healing.