September 6, 2015

23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Isaiah 35: 4-7; James 2: 1-5; Mark 7: 31-37

Pope Francis is coming to the United States. He will be speaking in Philadelphia, New York City at the United Nations, and at the joint session of Congress in Washington. I believe that all of America is excited that the Pope is coming. I also find it very interesting that different writers and correspondents are ‘predicting’ what the Pope will be saying. Others are not exactly predicting they are writing in the vein that they ‘hope’ what the Pope will be saying. Some hope he will not bring up certain ‘sensitive’ areas. Along with these ‘predictors’ are those who say that the Pope will affirm what their belief is.

I want to listen. The Pope has the whole Church under him and he knows all the problems and especially the acute needs of the people in all areas. He also knows how the Church is surviving and what is needed. His global knowledge is far more encompassing than my New York Times and CNN knowledge etc. He knows, he cares, and he is sharing what it means to live as a Christian for all peoples of all cultures.

I bring this up because of the tone of today’s readings. Isaiah is sharing what God has done and continues to do. What does God want for all people: a life of freedom, a life of realizing they are gifted and blessed and a life of generosity! Problems arise when fear enters life. This can take so many forms but fear disrupts and leads to doubt, squashed dreams, anger, deep hatred, revenge and living for oneself and striking out against others. Each one of us can easily say, ‘I’m not afraid…maybe only once in a while.’ Exploring the Sunday Readings says, “How much of your life is dedicated to fear? Most of us don’t have an image of ourselves as cowering or trembling, so we may dismiss the idea that fear plays much of a role in our lives. But every defensive word betrays our insecurity, and each angry outburst reveals our distress at seeming vulnerable or weak. The more invincible our outer shell appears to others, the more likely it’s shielding a frightened child inside.” Isaiah says, “Thus says the Lord: say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!” There is an interesting twist in this reading. God doesn’t just tell the people not to be afraid, but He wants them to share this truth with the people around them. Because God knows how helping someone else to overcome their fear is one of the best ways to get the better of it in our own life.

James is reminding us that we are all in the same boat. As the footnote in the New American Bible states:” In the Christianity community there must be no discrimination or favoritism based on status or wealth.” The needy and the outcast must be welcomed as each person is to be welcomed. This is the hallmark of what it means to be a follower of Jesus who welcomed all and loved and cared for all. The meditation message is that each one is expected to treat the poorest person with the same courtesy and respect as the ‘great ones’ in my life are treated. I’m obliged to value the person sleeping under the cardboard as much as Warren Buffet. James’ principal concern in this letter is how are my personal relationships with each person in the community—am I living in and with love or is anger, jealousy, slander and criticism, lethargy and the lack of appropriate care of the poor overriding the Lord’s teaching on love.

Jesus’ behavior in the gospel may seem at first sight to be shocking: sticking His fingers in the mute man’s ears and touching his tongue with spit. But it is very important to remember that “deaf and dumb” is also a metaphor for the inability to hear and understand and to be in touch with the world around me. The setting for this miracle is the Gentile area of the Decapolis, so the deaf man is a Gentile. The healing is done in stages perhaps suggesting the gradual coming to faith of future ‘pagan’ disciples. The Jewish people who watched Jesus did not agree on what the Messiah would be like. Some thought that the Messiah would influence the whole world, not just Israel. Many felt the Messiah would bring an end to history and the world as they knew it, ushering in a new age in which God would reign supreme. When the crowd saw Jesus healing the deaf and mute man, they felt that the Messiah had come. The king to come they felt had come. But Jesus was not a king who would take dominion over the world. He didn’t come to bring an end to history but to bring God’s plan to fruition.

Am I paying attention to God’s plan as it is manifested by Jesus? The Jewish people were too set in their own ways to recognize the Messiah. Am I so set in my ways that I’m not hearing and understanding the signs of the times but interpreting them according to the idols that are so much a part of my life and are counter to Christ? Am I being Jesus?

Faith Catholic illuminates this mission of being Jesus: “The mission of proclaiming the good news, salvation through Jesus Christ, is a mission without end, and it has been handed down to today’s Christians. Unfortunately, as has been the case all too often throughout history, many members of the Church fail to fully respond to the call to be faithful and effective witnesses to the Gospel.

Each of us is called to share the good news. We know the good news because we know the message of Jesus, confirmed in word and sacrament. We cannot be afraid to proclaim it to rich and poor alike. Our knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ is not a secret to be kept, it is a proclamation to be shared so that salvation may be brought to the ends of the earth.

What is it that keeps us from fully embracing our mission of discipleship? Do we not fully believe that all are in need of salvation? Do we not fully believe that our Christian message is good news? Do we not believe that we are entrusted with the mission of evangelization? This is why Jesus constantly calls His disciples to faith. If we really believe, then we will proclaim it. We will not be afraid to talk about it with friends and strangers alike. We will not be afraid to teach it to our children and grandchildren at home, around the dinner table. When discipleship is lived, the good news is proclaimed and the Christian faith thrives and grows.”

I reflect on:

• How has God’s Word moved me? Has it left me cold?
• Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way?
• When have I been distracted by someone’s appearance and missed the person inside?
• When have I been ignored by someone or ‘left out’? How did I feel?
• Imagine a banquet at which the homeless are the hosts and the wealthy stand in line? Where is Jesus in this? Where am I?

Sacred Space 2015 says:

This man is doubly afflicted—as a foreigner he suffers isolation, and he is also excluded by his physical impairment. Jesus’ action initiates a new age. He comes close enough to touch us, one by one. He indeed does all things well.

Lord, I hear your words to me, ‘Be open!’ Unblock my ears, that I may listen to Your Word. Open the door of my heart, that I may grow in sensitivity to the suffering of others. Liberate my tongue, that I may speak in gratitude of Your loving kindness.”