Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 7:31-37
HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED A LITTLE BABY? SOMETIMES FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON SHE WILL CLOSE HER EYES AND SMILE, AND MAKE GURGLING NOISES. SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS JUST WITNESSED SOMETHING WONDERFUL. THERE IS AN OLD LEGEND – AFTER ADAM AND EVE WERE DRIVEN OUT OF PARADISE, THEY AND THEIR CHILDREN WERE VERY SAD BECAUSE THEY FELT THAT GOD NO LONGER LOVED THEM. AND GOD TOLD HIS GUARDIAN ANGELS THAT THEIR MAIN JOB WOULD BE TO TELL THOSE THEY GUARDED THAT GOD LOVED THEM – OVER AND OVER, ALL THROUGH THEIR LIVES. AND THAT IS THE REASON BABIES LOOK DELIGHTED SOMETIMES; THEY HAVE HEARD THEIR ANGEL WHISPER THIS AWESOME TRUTH – GOD LOVES YOU, GOD LOVES YOU, ESPECIALLY!
BUT WE GROW OLDER, AND OTHER VOICES COMPETE WITH THE VOICE OF OUR ANGEL. OTHER PEOPLE; TRAFFIC IN THE STREET, PEOPLE DEMANDING THINGS, TELEVISION, THE INTERNET – IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG AND SOON WE STOP HEARING OUR ANGEL. WE BECOME DEAF TO GOD'S ASSURANCE TO US, AND WE BECOME SAD.
TODAY WE HEARD ANOTHER OF JESUS' MIRACLES; THE HEALING OF A MAN WHO WAS DEAF AND HAD A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT. WE USED TO CALL THAT CONDITION “DUMB” AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS ORIGINALLY TRANSLATED. BUT ITS NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT ANYMORE. AND HE HADN'T HEARD A SOUND IN WHO KNOWS HOW LONG – MAYBE YEARS, MAYBE NEVER, MAYBE JUST RECENTLY – BUT YOU CAN BE SURE HE MISSED THE ABILITY TO HEAR. I AM GETTING DEAF MYSELF. IT IS AMAZING HOW FRUSTRATING IT IS TO HEAR VOICES AND NOT QUITE CATCH SOME OF THE WORDS. AND FRUSTRATING IT IS FOR SOMEONE TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME, WHEN I KEEP SAYING, “WHAT?” WHEN I GOT HEARING AIDS LAST JANUARY, WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE!
BUT THE DEAF MAN SUDDENLY HEARS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE FIRST THING HE HEARS IS THE VOICE OF JESUS. IT'S LIKE BEING BORN AGAIN, AND HEARING YOUR ANGEL TELLING YOU, “GOD LOVES YOU, GOD LOVES YOU IN A SPECIAL WAY.”
JESUS WORKED MANY HEALING MIRACLES. BUT AFTER HIS THREE YEARS WANDERING THE ROADS OF PALESTINE, THERE WERE ALMOST AS MANY DEAF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AS THERE WERE BEFORE HE CAME; HE DIDN'T MAKE MUCH OF A DENT IN THE POPULATION WHO WERE BLIND OR LAME EITHER. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THOSE WHO RECEIVED HIS MIRACLES, EXCEPT FOR LAZARUS, WE DON'T KNOW ANY OF THEIR NAMES; THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR US TO REMEMBER THEM BY. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO WITNESSED THESE MIRACLES HAD VARIOUS REACTIONS. THE PEOPLE WHO SAW THIS ONE SAID, “HE DOES ALL THINGS WELL”. SOMETIMES THE PHARISEES GNASHED THEIR TEETH AND WENT OFF TO PLOT AGAINST HIM. WHEN I HEAR THAT SOMEONE HAS WORKED A MIRACLE, I USUALLY HAVE ALMOST NO REACTION TO THE NEWS – I DON'T BELIEVE IT OR DISBELIEVE IT, I AM INDIFFERENT, I HEAR THE NEWS AND IT GOES COMPLETELY OUT OF MY MIND. AND I SUSPECT THAT PEOPLE WHO HEARD ABOUT JESUS SOMETIMES REACTED THIS WAY AS WELL, IF THEY WEREN'T EYE WITNESSES. BUT JESUS WORKED THOSE MIRACLES TO SHOW THE WORLD – TO KIND OF GIVE A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS – THAT WHAT OUR ANGELS ARE SAYING TO US ARE NOT JUST EMPTY WORDS – GOD LOVES YOU. GOD LOVES YOU IN A SPECIAL WAY. A DEAF MAN WHO COULDN'T MAKE HIMSELF UNDERSTOOD – A MAN WHO WAS AT THE MARGINS OF HIS SOCIETY, A MAN WHO ALMOST CERTAINLY WAS POOR, LIVING HAND TO MOUTH, A NO-ACCOUNT, A NOTHING. AND JESUS SHOWS THIS MAN THAT GOD LOVES HIM.
IF WE COULD HEAR THE WORDS, WE MIGHT HEAR,
GOD LOVES YOU, AND PROVES IT BY FORGIVING YOUR SINS.
GOD LOVES YOU, AND HE IS WITH YOU EVEN WHEN YOU ARE IN PAIN.
GOD LOVES YOU, AND HE LOVES YOUR CHILD, WHO IS DISAPPOINTING YOU, AND KEEPS GETTING INTO TROUBLE.
GOD LOVES YOU, AND IF YOU ARE SICK OR DYING, HE IS THERE, SUFFERING WITH YOU, TAKING YOUR HAND AND GUIDING YOU TO RESURRECTION.
GOD LOVES YOU AND GIVES YOU FORGIVENESS OF SIN SO THAT YOU WILL FORGIVE THOSE WHO OFFENDED YOU.
GOD LOVES YOU AND HOLDS OUT HIS ARMS WAITING FOR YOU TO LOVE HIM BACK.
GOD LOVES YOU AND HE PROMISES NEVER TO LEAVE YOUR SIDE.
GOD LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS LIFE IS JUST THE FRONT PORCH OF THE MANSION WHICH HE HAS PREPARED FOR US TO SPEND OUR ETERNITY WITH HIM.
ONE TIME AN OLD AMERICAN INDIAN WAS VISITING NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME. AS HE WAS WALKING DOWN BROADWAY WITH HIS HOST, HE STOPPED AND SAID, “LISTEN, I HEAR A CRICKET!” HIS HOST SAID, “HOW CAN THAT BE? TAXIS ARE HONKING THEIR HORNS, PEOPLE ARE SHOUTING, BRAKES ARE SQUEALING, AND WE HAVE TO YELL AT EACH OTHER TO BE HEARD.” THE OLD INDIAN WENT OVER TO A SMALL GREEN PLANT AND RAISED A LEAF, AND THERE WAS A CRICKET. “YOU CAN ALWAYS HEAR WHAT YOU ARE LISTENING FOR.” AND HE TOOK OUT A HANDFUL OF COINS FROM HIS POCKET AND DROPPED THEM. ALL THE PEOPLE WITHIN 50 FEET SUDDENLY STOPPED TALKING AND TURNED TO THE SOUND FOR WHICH THEY WERE LISTENING.
MOST OF US ARE DEAF, OR AT LEAST HARD OF HEARING. EVEN SO, WE CAN HEAR WHAT WE LISTEN FOR. HOW WE NEED TO HEAR THOSE WORDS OF OUR ANGEL, “GOD LOVES YOU. GOD LOVES YOU ESPECIALLY.” IF WE REALLY AND TRULY HEAR THOSE WORDS, THEY WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE OUR LIVES. THOSE WERE THE WORDS THAT MADE FRANCIS A GREAT SAINT. THOSE WORDS COMFORTED ST. LAWRENCE AND ST. THOMAS MORE AS THEY DIED FOR THEIR FAITH. THOSE WORDS GAVE ST. JOHN VIANNEY THE STRENGTH TO TIRELESSLY STRIVE TO TURN HIS INDIFFERENT PARISH INTO ONE THAT WAS TRANSFORMED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND WHEN WE HEAR THOSE WORDS IN OUR OWN HEARTS, WHEN WE REALLY HEAR THEM, WE WILL BE CHANGED AS WELL, FOR IF WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS THAT GOD LOVES US, THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN HOLD US BACK.
TODAY LET US ASK JESUS TO OPEN OUR EARS, SO THAT WE CAN HEAR OUR ANGEL AGAIN, WHO WHISPERS “GOD LOVES YOU, GOD LOVES YOU IN A SPECIAL WAY” INTO THE EARS OF OUR SOULS. AND LET US ASK JESUS TO TOUCH OUR TONGUES SO THAT WE CAN TELL THE TRUTH TO EVERYONE WE MEET - “GOD LOVES YOU.”