Jesus Heals A Deaf And Mute Man

FEBRUARY 10, 2023 FRIDAY
MEMORIAL OF SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN (White)
CYCLE A - YEAR I
Lectionary: 333

Reading 1
Gn 3:1-8

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
"Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?"
The woman answered the serpent:
"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
But the serpent said to the woman:
"You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil."
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Alleluia
Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The healing work of Jesus involved the body and well as mind and soul. Some 'Christian' teaching devalues the body. Our body is the 'place' of the Holy Spirit and through words, touch and feeling we affect the lives of others. In prayer we thank God for the sacredness of our bodies and ask that we care well for them. We offer this care to the Lord in the ways we eat, drink, touch and taste. We believe that Jesus, Son of God, is present and incarnate today in our bodies. 

The people around Jesus were able to recognise the good that he did. I ask God to strengthen me, to give me the courage to keep the acting in the hope that I may give witness by how I live.

PRAYER:

You were always on the side of health, Lord. You communicated your own vigorous health to people by touching them, even sharing your saliva.