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.
Did you ever wonder why Jesus often told those who witnessed his miracles not to tell anyone what they saw? This Sunday’s Gospel contains one of those moments. The deaf and mute man’s hearing is restored and his speech is clear because Jesus cured him. But Jesus instructs the crowd “not to tell anyone.” If we were there, wouldn’t we say something like: “Really, Jesus?! This is amazing and I want to tell the whole world – one minute this man was deaf and unable to speak and the next minute you commanded his ears to be opened and they opened; one minute no one could understand the man, and the next minute everyone understands what he is saying. I want to share that story with everyone in my circle of family and friends right away! Why can’t we tell anyone?!”
I think Jesus might reply this way: “You don’t yet understand who I am. You think I have worked some kind of magic. I don’t want you to share that understanding of me with others. When you fully embrace the reality that I am the Son of God, the Promised One who does the will of the Father and works these miracles because they are the will of the Father — and the Father and I are one – then you can tell the whole world! When you understand that an encounter with me is an opportunity for healing, forgiveness, and deep and abiding love, then you will not need a miracle; you will be satisfied with knowing that you are truly loved by me.”
If we understand Christ as miracle-worker, we do not have the whole story. A meaningful and life-giving encounter with Christ should encompass more than the possibility of a miracle. A meaningful and life-giving encounter with Christ will leave us feeling like we are fully alive despite our weariness. It will brighten our way, despite the darkness that may have enveloped us. It will lift our spirits when we thought we were fairly spirited already. A true encounter with Christ — in prayer, in church, in nature, in friendship, in art, in music, and wherever we find Christ – will cause us to experience a true miracle: overcoming the fear that has caused our inability to see, hear, and speak what Christ has to offer us – our best selves in Him. Free of that fear, we become what He wants us to be. And once we are who we are meant to be in Christ, then we are free to tell everyone what happened!
Yours in Christ,
Welcome to the Saint Aloysius! Our parish was founded in 1896 to serve the Catholic families that were settling in the greater New Canaan area.