Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 08th September 2024
There has been in the past the idea that God in the Old Testament was cold, harsh, angry and judgemental; this is not the case. The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah says to us; ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. God is coming to save you. The eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like the deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.’ What a wonderful description of who God is and what God does for us. God is deeply and passionately concerned about our welfare and well-being.
In the gospel, Jesus, continues this tender and compassionate concern as he heals the deaf man who has a speech impediment. As always, when Jesus meets anyone who is sick in any way, he reaches out and touches them where they need healing the most. This may sound like an obvious thing to do, but at the time of Jesus those who were deaf, dumb, blind, crippled or who had leprosy were seen as sinners who were being punished by God. They were treated as being unclean and unable to take their place in the village or community. To touch them was to become unclean too. Jesus goes far beyond this religious and cultural taboo: he put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. The people who witnessed this would have been amazed, surprised and shocked. This is how Jesus reached out to those who were sick, poor or being ignored. When he spoke to the woman who touched the hem of his garment, he called her ‘daughter.’ He brought her back into her community and into the Family of God.