September 7, 2003
Isaiah 35:4-7 + James 2:1-5 + Mark 7:31-37
There is a word used only once in the Jewish scriptures and once in the Christian scriptures. We hear it today in Isaiah and in Mark.
With those readings as a pair, we can hardly fail to miss the point.
The word is translated differently in Isaiah and in Mark, but in the original language, it is the same. Isaiah says: “then the tongue of the mute will sing.” Mark says: “He spoke plainly.” What we are drawn to see today in our feast upon this Word has something to do with breaking the silence and being heard. The miracle story is not as much about a deaf man as it is a sign that God’s dominion is at hand. It’s not about a deaf man and Jesus. It is about signs that we belong in the Kingdom of God.
What this Word and the Church does today is bring us before Jesus just as the people of the Gospel Story brought that deaf man.
We stand before Christ Jesus deaf and silent. We do not hear. We do not hear truthfully, and so our speech is unintelligible, or we do not speak the truth. Sometimes it is not so much that our ears are closed as it is the selective attention, we have perfected. Yet in this world there are so many voices and there is so much noise leaving us overwhelmed and confused. And in this world there is always the option of listening to the voice of self-interest; of hearing what serves our self-worth; and all of that leaves us silent. Standing before Christ Jesus today, we hear him say: “BE OPEN.”
His command speaks more to our mind and heart than to our ears.
Minds closed to the truth of Gospel values leave us dumb and able speak. And when we are silent, the poor and voiceless that grow in numbers around us have no hope at all. To minds, lives, and hearts closed to others, Christ says: “BE OPEN. Speak for the voiceless when they are jobless and homeless, because voters only vote for what protects themselves. Speak for the Immigrant who know not the language that asks for a share in the wealth of the earth. Speak for honesty and a limit on wealth in a day when deceit is the standard operating procedure in business for the sake of profit.
Speak the whole truth about the common good in a day when half-truth is offered by governments for the sake of private interest. Speak of the ugliness of war in a day when it is managed and concealed to look like a game on prime-time TV.
Open to God’s voice we can stand before this world bearing witness to the power, the truth, and the love of that Voice. If we know the touch of the risen Christ before whom we stand in this place, we will confront the growing suffering of humanity\ and confront the principalities and powers that block the Holy Way of God. Open to God’s voice we shall hear hope in desolation. Open to God’s voice we shall hear comfort in sorrow and sadness. Open to God’s voice we shall hear “I Am with You.” in fear. Open to God’s voice, we shall know what to say in the face of injustice.
Those who live in the Dominion of God have new ways of evaluating what is good and who is important. Their agenda is Jesus Christ who made the needs of others his own mission. His true disciples shall ask for his healing touch today because they cannot risk being deaf to the overtures of God who invites us to be open.