23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Is. 35: 4-7; Jm. 2: 1-5;  Mk. 7: 31-37

In the first reading, Isaiah confidently proclaims that when the Messiah comes, "the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed." In today's Gospel, we see that that time has arrived. Perhaps out _of respect for the man's dignity as a person, Jesus takes hin aside and through "hands-on" prayer and touch, heals him.

The man goes off rejoicing at what J sus has done for him, proclaiming the healing an salvation which  he has received. So Jesus is performing the works which the divine Messiah would do when He came. But of course, there was double problem for His listeners: firstly, th man was a gentile, and regarded by ortho ox Jews as ntu lly unclean. He was also physically handicapped - a sure sign in Jewish eyes that either he or his parents had either sinned or done something wrong or bad.

There's no one on th.is planet who doesn't need healing of some sort. For some, it will be physical, but for many others it will be the healing we need when we have been hurt by life. Sometimes, we'll be aware of what it is, but more often than not, there will simply be something which they find hard to identify which causes a general feeling if unhappiness or distress. It may be a worry or an anxiety about the future, about a family member or a friend; it may be because we have unresolved issues or conflicts which are gnawing away inside us.

This week, ask yourself the question, "What’s _stopping me from being fully able to sing and leap for JOY  like the man in the Gospel?        Jesus' healing of the man who couldn't speak or hear has a message for us too. Can we allow ourselves to be healed of our impairment, whether physical, mental or spiritual, and _before in instruments f that same healing love to our family,hes and fnends?  Lets pray that in this coming week the love h ch Godh!l-5 for each and every single one of us md1v1dually w1ll be revealed and that He will heal us in our need. Then we too shalt' be able to claim, "He has done all things well!" Then we'll truly be able to proclaim the same good news to others.