Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel details Jesus giving a deaf and dumb man ability to hear and speak. Doesn’t he repeat this miracle at baptism, the sacrament that opens ears to hear what he says in Scripture and give grace to the baptized to make him known to others?
At baptism doesn’t the Holy Spirit come and make his dwelling within the one baptized, teaching him how to hear Christ’s intimate and personal words until the day he will meet him face to face? And doesn’t the Spirit teach him how to respond to Christ’s love and friendship, that is, how to pray?
But even though baptized, what prevents me from hearing Christ, and speaking to and with him in a trusting personal relationship? Sin. When I sin, I reject and ignore Christ’s invitation to me to deepen our friendship. I deliberately deafen myself to his words. What is the result?
The 1st reading in today’s Mass gives a good answer. The details may be confusing. The background of these events is given in the first readings of this week’s masses. Sin caused a rupture in the unity of the Holy Land. Schism prevailed. Sin destroys unity with God, with others, within one’s self. We see it among contemporary Christians today.
Resolve: I shall pray today for unity within the Church, among all Christian creeds, families, nations, races. And I shall ask the Lord to give me the grace to cure my self-made deafness and enable me to make his love known to others.