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Homily for February 14, 2025, Mk 7:31-37
EPHPHATA! BE OPENED! This is the cry of Jesus that opened the closed mouth and ears of the deaf and mute man. It’s a beautiful metaphor for the work of evangelization. It also encapsulates our participation in the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mission of proclaiming the Good News, the mission of opening up, not just closed doors, but also locked hearts and minds.
Sometimes, even though we know that God’s grace is free-flowing and His goodness is endless, we cannot receive it if our souls remain closed. It’s like water continuously gushing forth from a well; it will just spill and scatter if the bucket used to draw it has a lid. It’s not true that God is always prevailing in our lives, especially when we submit ourselves to other forms of power, like the story we heard about Adam and Eve in the first reading. When their eyes were opened to sin, that was when they started to distance themselves, close off, and hide from God.
We should not think of Jesus as some kind of magician, as if whatever He says will automatically happen. Sometimes, it seems like He is powerless, as if His touch or words have no effect. Didn’t that happen in His own hometown in Nazareth? It is said that He could not heal anyone because of the lack of faith among His people.
That’s why He often says, “Your faith has healed you.” I believe it’s clear to Jesus that it is God’s grace alone that heals. But He also knows that God will not force His grace upon us if we don’t open ourselves or invite Him into our lives.
Maybe that’s why Pope Francis once said that he hears the Lord knocking at the door of the Church, not to enter, but for us to open the door for Him to go out—out into society and the world to engage in mission. Sometimes, it seems like we are confining Him to our narrow perspectives and exclusive Church activities.
Closing our minds, especially when we see others as opponents instead of brothers and sisters, when we are always defensive as if we are under attack—this is our greater enemy. Sometimes, even when our intentions are good, like correcting someone who is wrong, the way we do it can be wrong if it humiliates the person being corrected. That’s why I really like St. Mark’s description—Jesus didn’t heal the person with a disability in public, but in private.
There are indeed times when we need a microphone that projects our voice through a loudspeaker to make people heard the word of God more clearly. But there are also times when it’s not necessary at all. There are things best said privately than posted on Facebook. If you truly want to open a person’s soul to God’s grace, sometimes one-on-one communication is more effective. Sometimes it takes a lot of more listening than talking. Many souls are more quickly healed through quiet confessions, patient counseling, or simple conversation.
This is what much of our mission is about. There is a Lenten song that sums it up beautifully into a prayer. It says,
“Open our hearts, teach us to be passionate;
Open our minds, let them be filled with light;
Open our hands, that may we offer ourselves;
help us to find a new understanding.”
