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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  We are healed by one who reaches out to us

by Fr. Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published August 28, 2009

First Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7a

Salvation is a new creation, or at least returning creation to its original plan of God. Thus, healing is a sign of this new re-balancing of life and nature. The prophet uses signs of nature to reflect the re-ordering of life.

Water transforms the landscape. It provides refreshment and nourishment for those in need. That which threatens life, "the desert ... the steppe ... burning sands ... thirsty ground," will be replaced by the life-giving water, "streams ... rivers ... pools ... springs." Four things indicate all points of the compass, thus the entire land will share in the newness of life, which is brought by the coming of God.

In these dry days of summer, I have often seen how quickly the green grass turns brown. It looks dead and becomes uncomfortable to walk upon with bare feet. Then, a summer rain falls upon the lawn. The grass turns green and becomes supple. It is cooling to walk upon without shoes. How quickly the earth responds to this life-giving water from the sky!

The prophet uses this imagery, so clearly evident in the Judaean wilderness, as a visible sign of rebirth. Even if the future looks bad, God will restore the fortunes of all his people. Their disabilities will be removed: "blind ... deaf ... lame ... mute." There are another four signs of bodily healing.

Second Reading: James 2:1-5

The author expands upon the statement of Dt 10:17, which says that God "has no favorites." Neither should the community of the faithful show favoritism because of social status, wealth or power. The assembly is the usual word used for Jewish congregations, "synagogue," rather than the more usual word for "church." The author may have chosen this more general use of the word for more than just liturgical gatherings. It can also mean any community gathering. The word used for "poor" can mean both the absence of wealth as well as the way in which they are judged by others as inferiors. There is an irony that God's choice of who is "rich" has different standards than the world.

Several years ago, I was visited by a Indian priest to do the annual missionary appeal for the Propagation of the Faith. He was a student, whom his bishop sent to make appeals in the U.S. in the summertime. He was the first to be ordained from the Untouchables, the fifth group of people in his country, a non-caste person. Recently, on another mission appeal, he came to visit me at the parish. He had been ordained bishop of a small, neighboring diocese to his home diocese. He had been entrusted with an important role in the Church, but he did not forget his roots.

As he talked about some of his new experiences, he reflected his concern for bettering the life experiences for his people through education and improved human facilities. He explained to me that there was a very different approach by the general Hindu society and the Christians to the needs of the poor. Those who believed in reincarnation thought that the circumstances of a person's birth was what they earned from a previous life. There was no need to interfere or intervene. Christians saw that people, all equal in the eyes of God, should be given opportunities to develop the talents, which God gave to everyone. It is still a challenge for us in our congregations and a work for us to do in our society today.

Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

The Gospel of Mark often puts Jesus on the boundaries, both of the Law and of the territory of Israel. The indirect route of Jesus, which is described at the beginning of this passage, has been used by some exegetes to prove that Mark did not know the territory. Others claim that the early Church in the time of Mark may have had communities of Christians in these territories. This scene takes place in Gentile territory. The deaf man, who was brought to Jesus, may have been a Gentile.

Although the passage does not describe where Jesus spit, it is probably on his fingers, since they were mentioned. Some local churches used this passage for the practice of putting spittle on the nose and ears of candidates for baptism, perhaps as a rite of exorcism. It may also be the source for our practice of touching the ears and mouth of a newly baptized infant. Spitting and groaning were used in those days by magicians. The word, which is spoken by Jesus, ephphata, is probably Aramaic, rather than Hebrew. Mark usually does not use Aramaic in his narration. This may indicate his acknowledgment of the power of Jesus' original speech to accomplish the cure.

The immediate healing of the man corrected both his ability to hear and to speak. It is a prophetic action, reflecting the first reading from Isaiah (35:5-6), as a sign of God's presence among the people. It also gives the man the ability to hear what Jesus would say and to proclaim what he heard clearly.

The response of the people, "he has done all things well," may echo the observation on the final day of creation in Genesis 1:31. Healing was associated with the act of creation, since it restored a person to what was intended by God.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.