Friday in the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
There is no doubt that we are all fascinated by the story of Helen Keller, this young American girl, who lived in the 19th century and who was impaired in her sight and hearing and speech. We all know how everybody including her own parents were convinced that she would live in a world of her own, never being able to make contact with the the outside world, let alone with others. And we all admire her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who took up the challenge with such love and determination because she believed in Helen Keller, by helping her feel in her own skin the warmth of her breath and the vibrations of her throat while speaking. Helen Keller grew up to be not only someone who is able to communicate with others and build meaningful relationships, but she also became an inspiration to many, especially to those who for some reason or other had lost all hope in life.
I am always reminded of this image when I read the gospel that we have heard today. Jesus establishes a relationship with him and with powerful and evocative gestures gives him the ability to speak and to hear again. In other words he reestablishes him in the community
However Jesus' action is repeated every time that there is a baptism. You would recall how apart from the pouring of water on the head of the person to be baptisted, which is the actual baptism, there are also other rites which are called the explicatory rites because they explain in symbolic form what the action of pouring water on the forehead means. One of these rites is called the Ephphatha rite. In it, the preist of deacon signs a small cross on the ears and on the mouth of the person who has just been baptised, while saying, "The Lord Jesus gave hearing to the deaf and speech to those who could not 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."
And therefore in this man we see ourselves too. Without the new life that Jesus gives us, we are in a world of our own, concerned only with ourselves, autoreferential and relying only on our own means. However, just as Helen Keller was opened up to a whole new world thanks to her teacher Anne Sullivan, so we too are reinserted into the community, a community called Church where at the centre of our lives there is no longer ourselves but Jesus. We are no longer in a world of our own but we realise that we are on a journey together with others, sharing the same concerns, the same joys and hopes. What is striking in the healing effect of Jesus' miracle is that it is instant. The good news starts spreading immediately like wild fire.
The words Ephphata that Jesus pronounced on us through the priest or deacon so many years ago at our baptism continue to echo in our heart because they are the effect of baptism itself. Who knows how many people have received the Good News through us and we were not even aware! However let us pray that we may always be open to hear and receive the word of God and to pass it on to others to that those who are lacking in hope may encounter the joy that Jesus can bring in their life too.
There is no doubt that we are all fascinated by the story of Helen Keller, this young American girl, who lived in the 19th century and who was impaired in her sight and hearing and speech. We all know how everybody including her own parents were convinced that she would live in a world of her own, never being able to make contact with the the outside world, let alone with others. And we all admire her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who took up the challenge with such love and determination because she believed in Helen Keller, by helping her feel in her own skin the warmth of her breath and the vibrations of her throat while speaking. Helen Keller grew up to be not only someone who is able to communicate with others and build meaningful relationships, but she also became an inspiration to many, especially to those who for some reason or other had lost all hope in life.
I am always reminded of this image when I read the gospel that we have heard today. Jesus establishes a relationship with him and with powerful and evocative gestures gives him the ability to speak and to hear again. In other words he reestablishes him in the community
However Jesus' action is repeated every time that there is a baptism. You would recall how apart from the pouring of water on the head of the person to be baptisted, which is the actual baptism, there are also other rites which are called the explicatory rites because they explain in symbolic form what the action of pouring water on the forehead means. One of these rites is called the Ephphatha rite. In it, the preist of deacon signs a small cross on the ears and on the mouth of the person who has just been baptised, while saying, "The Lord Jesus gave hearing to the deaf and speech to those who could not 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."
And therefore in this man we see ourselves too. Without the new life that Jesus gives us, we are in a world of our own, concerned only with ourselves, autoreferential and relying only on our own means. However, just as Helen Keller was opened up to a whole new world thanks to her teacher Anne Sullivan, so we too are reinserted into the community, a community called Church where at the centre of our lives there is no longer ourselves but Jesus. We are no longer in a world of our own but we realise that we are on a journey together with others, sharing the same concerns, the same joys and hopes. What is striking in the healing effect of Jesus' miracle is that it is instant. The good news starts spreading immediately like wild fire.
The words Ephphata that Jesus pronounced on us through the priest or deacon so many years ago at our baptism continue to echo in our heart because they are the effect of baptism itself. Who knows how many people have received the Good News through us and we were not even aware! However let us pray that we may always be open to hear and receive the word of God and to pass it on to others to that those who are lacking in hope may encounter the joy that Jesus can bring in their life too.
Comments
Post a Comment