Do you know what the word “Alleluia” means? We just sang it with great joy as we prepared to hear the gospel proclaimed. In fact, we sing it every Sunday except during the Season of Lent. It’s a Hebrew word and it means “Praise God!” It is joyous cry of praise of God that dates back to Old Testament times. I wouldn’t be surprised if the man in today’s gospel passage went around singing “Alleluia!” Can you imagine how the man in today’s Gospel account must have felt? All his life, he had lived in a world of silence. And suddenly, at the touch of this kindly man, Jesus, he could hear – the voices of those around him, a bird chirping in a nearby tree, children shouting after one another as they played in the streets. What joy he must have felt! Alleluia – praise God! And then, when this same itinerant preacher touched his tongue, he could speak clearly. Of course, he hadn’t realized that he wasn’t speaking clearly before, since he couldn’t hear himself. But now, the people around him, hearing him, noticed that they could understand him better. You can imagine their amazement, too. That’s why we hear them remark about Jesus, “He has done all things well.” Today, as we continue to benefit from hearing the Gospel of Mark proclaimed to us we can, once again, rejoice at the Good News we hear. And, as is often the case with Mark’s Gospel, we hear a seemingly simple story about a healing. But, if we listen carefully, we find that this gospel often includes some interesting details that teach us a great deal about Jesus – and ourselves. Today’s reading – Jesus healing a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment – is, at one level, a story about Jesus’ compassion and his healing power. It demonstrates Jesus’ great care for a man who had suffered for many years. And, it is another example of Jesus’ healing power; a precursor of the great healing power he demonstrates when he rises from the dead and offers all who believe in him eternal healing and wholeness of life in the joy of God’s presence in heaven.
But, this story also offers insights into our understanding of a sacrament. Notice how Jesus heals; he touches the man, first putting his finger into his ears. And then, spitting on his finger, he touches the man again, this time on his tongue. With our awareness today of all the germs that reside in our mouths, we might find his actions – especially spitting and putting his finger on the man’s tongue – somewhat unsettling. But, we need to remember that in those days spittle was considered to have healing power.
Today, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Jesus used physical signs and powerful words to indicate that he was healing the man: touch and spittle, and the command Ephphatha – an ancient Aramaic word that means “be opened!”
We continue, as the Church, to celebrate the sacraments using physical means and powerful words. In the Sacrament of Baptism, we use water and oil, which symbolize our being cleansed of original sin, given new life in Christ and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we will witness in just a few minutes, in the Eucharist, bread and wine, through the words of consecration, become the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, we are anointed with holy oil on the forehead and the hands, again signs of God’s healing power.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Matrimony, powerful words communicate God’s presence: “I absolve you,” and “I take you to be my husband”, “I take you to be my wife.”
We are a sacramental people who believe that God’s loving care is made present to us through these physical signs and inspired words. What wonderful gifts we receive in these sacraments – alleluia – praise God!
In today’s gospel account, we also see an interesting, ironic twist as Jesus heals the man. Jesus gives him the gift of speech, but then tells him not to use it – at least not to talk about Jesus. Jesus directs that the news of his healing power – which is evidence of his identity as the Messiah – not be spread. This is a recurring motif in Mark’s Gospel and scripture scholars call it the “messianic secret.” They explain that Jesus didn’t want people to hear about him until they heard the entire story: that he died and rose from the dead to offer us eternal healing. It’s so easy to get caught up in the immediate miracle – a healing – and miss the full gospel message.
So, what is the gospel message for us today? First, I would invite you to reflect on the wonderful gifts we have in the sacraments – baptism, reconciliation, Eucharist, confirmation, marriage, ordination, anointing of the sick – when God, using physical signs and powerful words, makes his care and love for us abundantly clear. As you do so, feel free to sing “Alleluia – praise God.” And, since we are privileged to live after our Lord’s death and resurrection, we are all called to use our ears to listen carefully to his gospel and our speech to proclaim it fearlessly to everyone we encounter. What a privilege it is for us to be bearers of this Good News! Alleluia – praise God!