PODCAST - Press play to listen
23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Terranuova Hermitage
September 9, 2012
Be
Opened Inwardly and Outwardly
By (Rev.
Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Heidi’s Parents
Three months ago, at the beginning of June, a
friend of mine flew to Denver to officiate at his nephew David’s wedding.
David married a young woman named Heidi. My friend had met Heidi for the first time on
another visit to Denver last October.
Heidi’s mother and father are both deaf. And their serious hearing impairment also
makes it impossible for them to speak clearly.
As I understand it, if we cannot hear
ourselves speaking, we cannot speak clearly.
The speech impairment flows from the hearing impairment. If you don’t
hear it right you can’t speak it right.
All that said, Heidi’s parents are absolutely
delightful people. They are friendly,
jovial, and a pleasure to be with.
The Deaf and Mute Man
I thought of Heidi’s parents when I read
today’s gospel.
In it we find a man who is both deaf and
mute. And notice: Jesus first enables
the man to hear and then, after that, to speak.
If he can hear, then his speaking will flow
from what he hears. And notice also:
Jesus heals the man by using, in the English translation, just two words: “Be opened!”
“Be opened!” In opening the man’s ears and mouth, Jesus
heals the man physically.
But, as wonderful as this is, the healing is
even more than simply a physical healing.
In Jesus’ time, unlike my nephew’s in-laws today, those who were deaf
and mute were really cut off from the rest of society.
They were shunned and became very isolated from
society. They were treated as incapable
of holding a job or of being with others in any way at all.
They were socially isolated. And on top of that, they were also perceived
as being alienated from God.
Their disability was seen as a punishment for
sin. So Jesus’ healing of this man today
is not just physical, but also social and spiritual – that’s how great the
healing is!
“Be Opened!”
Now let’s take this one step farther.
Jesus’ words – “Be opened!” – are also intended for the disciples and for us. Jesus calls us to “Be opened!”
Recently, I came across a very simple morning
prayer. It is easy to remember.
“Lord, open me: inward to you, outward to others.” “Lord, open me: inward to you, outward to
others.”
Jesus wants us to “Be opened!” And for that
to happen, we need to desire it and ask him to open us.
“Open Us: Inward”
First, we pray: “Lord, open me: inward to you.”
Open me to your presence that is already within
me. You are here, within me, removing my
isolation and being my constant companion on my journey of life.
Open me to your strength within me. You are my empowerment to deal with the
everyday stuff of life and you are my refuge when times are really tough.
Open us to your love within me. You are the outreaching, unconditional love
of God for me and the grounding of my self-worth and self-esteem.
And open me to your healing within me. You, little by little, put together my loose
ends, remove my alienation from God and make me a whole and holy person.
“Open
Us: Outward”
And then, we pray: “Lord, open me: outward to others.”
First open my ears. Help me to hear the happiness or sadness, the
self-confidence or self-doubt of those closest to me.
And then Lord, open my eyes. Help me to see my spouse’s need for a caring
intervention about alcohol or an aging parent’s need for help around the house.
Also Lord, open my mouth. Help me to speak words of comfort to a
neighbor who is grieving or words of challenge to a society in the grip of consumerism.
And Lord, even open my mind. Help me to examine my judgments about people
who look different from me or my prejudice toward immigrants, gays, or
whomever.
Conclusion
Jesus says: “Be opened!”
And we pray: “Lord, open me: inward to you, outward to others.”
