Be opened!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel St Mark is recording for us an actual healing miracle (Mk 7: 31-37), demonstrating Jesus’ power over sickness and disease, Jesus heals a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. The episode takes place in Gentile territory (the Decapolis – 10 Greco-Roman cities), significantly Jesus also cast out demons into pigs in Mark 5: 9-20 in Gentile territory which suggests the universal scope of Jesus’ message. God’s mercy and compassion extends to everyone as we read in the story which precedes the healing of the deaf man when Jesus healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman (a Gentile).  

This story of healing is only found in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus takes the man aside, away from the crowds, performs the miracle and afterwards tells him to keep it a secret! The action of Jesus is highly physical, he puts his fingers into the man’s ears, touches his tongue with spittle, lets out a ‘sigh’ whilst looking up to heaven. Jesus then says ‘Ephphatha’ (which means ‘be opened’). Despite the mysterious elements the healing is not magic but a miracle pointing out God’s greatness and mercy. In the first reading today the prophet Isaiah (thousands of years before) promises that the coming Messiah would do the very miracle that Jesus has just done “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed.” 

This healing power of Jesus also points to the way in which the Church celebrates the sacraments using physical means. In the sacrament of Baptism, water and oil are used to show the power of the Holy Spirit. Oil is also used in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the sick and in Confirmation. In the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. As Christians we are sacramental people who believe that God’s grace is given to us through these physical signs.

There is an irony to this story as even though Jesus gives the man the gift of speech, he tells him not to use it. Jesus asks that the news of his healing power, which is evidence of his identity as the Messiah, not to be spread. This is a common theme in Mark’s Gospel and is referred to as the “messianic secret” suggesting that many of Jesus’ works could only be understood after his resurrection.

A reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 7: 31-37)

Again 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. The man who was healed in the Gospel did not express any explicit faith in Jesus, but Jesus still healed him. We as baptised Christians should have faith in Jesus’ healing power. The Holy Spirit is at work in all our lives to open our eyes and ears and loosen our tongues so that we can praise God for what he has done in Christ.
  4. We need to consider the question of whether such miracles can happen today. As parents we pray for any illness and sickness in our families to be cured. Pray this week for healing in Christ’s name. Lord Jesus, I believe in miracles and pray for them. I believe in your goodness and love, in time, the fullness of healing in the resurrection of the dead. Amen. 
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare;
    i. The Bible reading from St Mark (7: 31-37)
    ii. A candle
    iii. Cover the table with a green clot
    iv. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested)
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family

Today we are going to hear about a healing miracle which Jesus did. A man was brought to Jesus and he couldn’t hear or speak properly. Jesus takes the man aside and cures him by touching his ears and his tongue and by saying “be opened.”

  • Jesus cured a deaf man
  • We should use our gift of hearing to listen to God’s Word at Mass
  • Printout of the colouring page
  • Colours and a pencil
PrintoutDownload

Being able to hear is a wonderful gift from God, imagine what it would be like if you could not hear anything. You would not be able to hear the voices of your parents or friends, the barking of a dog or the meow of a kitten or the sound of music.  In today’s Gospel reading, the people asked Jesus to cure a deaf man. What do you think it was like for that man when suddenly he could hear everything that was going on around him? I am sure it was amazing and life changing for him. The man also had a problem with his speech, he was unable to talk. The people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man and cure him, Jesus took the man aside so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then Jesus touched the man’s tongue with his own spittle. Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!”  Immediately the man could hear perfectly, and he could speak. The people who had brought the man to Jesus were amazed and said, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf be able to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”

God has given us the gift of hearing to be able to talk with and listen to other people and also to appreciate the sounds of creation such as the waves on the sea shore or the wind blowing,   or birds singing. We use this gift to hear God’s Word when we go to mass and listen to the readings from the Bible, when we listen and pay attention Jesus can open our ears to hear, our tongues to speak and our hearts to believe in Him. 

Jesus healed the man who was brought to him. In what ways can Jesus heal us? Jesus can heal us from sickness, loneliness, worrying and from bad habits which cause us to sin and separate our hearts from God, listening to God’s Word can be life changing for us. After Jesus cured the deaf man he told the people to keep it a secret, but the people were so amazed with Jesus’ miracle that they continued telling others about Jesus.

Today the Gospel is speaking about a man who was physically deaf, but sometimes we also pretend not to hear others especially if it is not something which we wish to hear like our parents telling us to tidy our room, make our bed or help lay the table for dinner. Let’s ask God in our prayers for the gift of being able to listen and to pay attention during Mass.

To remind yourself of today’s Gospel story you can colour the picture of Jesus healing the deaf man. Write on the top of the page the words which Jesus spoke. “Ephphatha”… Be Opened.

Do this whilst listening to this song.  J.E.S.U.S .

Sign of the cross.

God of love, open our ears to hear your Word, and open our hearts to be able to share the good news of God’s love with others. We pray for all those people who have not yet heard the good news of your saving grace and your power to heal the sick and the broken hearted.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Today we hear how Jesus helps a deaf man who cannot speak properly, to hear and to speak more clearly. It is one of Jesus’ healing miracles and those who saw it were amazed and were asked by Jesus to keep it a secret. Moreover, the people who saw the miracle could not keep silent.

  • The sacraments help to heal us.
  • We as Christians are like the man and his friends in today’s Gospel, we can’t help but share the great news about Jesus with others so that they might also know Jesus’ love.
  • Coloured craft card
  • Pencil colours
  • Scissors and glue
  • Heart template
TemplateDownload

While Jesus travelled through the region of Decapolis, some people brought to him a man who was deaf and who could hardly talk. They begged Jesus to place his hand on the man to heal him. Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd and put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then Jesus with his own spit touched the man’s tongue. Jesus looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said “Ephphatha” which means “Be Opened!” Then the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was loosened and he was able to hear and to talk normally. Jesus told the people not to tell anyone about the miracle, but they did not obey. The people spread the word about what Jesus had done for the man.

Jesus’ act of healing the man is a miracle and it points out the truth about the healing power of God who worked through Jesus. Why do you think Jesus chose to heal through physically touching the man and not just by saying “be healed”? Jesus chooses to heal the man sacramentally, that is through gesture, touch, word and even spittle as signs which effect a cure rather than just by speaking the words of healing. The cure opens up the man’s life to a whole new way of living. It is a miracle of liberation, the man is free to hear all the sounds around him and to speak and communicate with his family and friends. Imagine how happy he must have felt.

This healing action of Jesus teaches us about the sacraments. As you know there are seven sacraments God gives us his special grace. Visit here.

In the sacraments physical signs, gestures and words are used by the priest. In Baptism water, oil, light (candle) and a white garment are used. Did you know also that the priest says a special prayer called the Ephphatha Prayer whilst he touches the ears and mouth of the baby, he says “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his Word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Even though Jesus asked the people not to tell anyone about the miracle they could not keep it secret, they just had to share the good news with others. This also points to another important aspect of our celebration of the sacraments. The sacraments strengthen us to share the good news of Jesus with others, like the man and his friends in today’s Gospel. We have great news about Jesus that we can’t help but share with others so that they might also know Jesus’ love. 

If you would like to share the good news about Jesus with others or you just want to let them know that you love them and are praying for them, print out the heart template and then cut out the hearts. Stick them onto another heart slightly bigger cut from the coloured card. Write the name of the person you want to give it to on the heart and write

“Jesus heals us” and give it to that person. It could be a family member or a friend or a neighbour who lives alone. 

You can listen to this song as you make the hearts; Nothing is Impossible.

Thank you God for the gift of healing and health. I would like to pray for (mention the names of the sick people you would like to pray for) who at this time are in need of your healing strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

1. According to today's Gospel, a man who needed help, was brought before Jesus. What problem did this man have?

Correct! Wrong!

2. What did Jesus do to this man who was brought before him?

Correct! Wrong!

3. What was the word that Jesus said, while touching the tongue of the man who was deaf?

Correct! Wrong!

4. After performing the miracle Jesus told them not to tell anyone about it but they ...

Correct! Wrong!

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.