A fair summary of main points in yesterday’s homily:
There are details in the miracle of Jesus healing the deaf and mute man that are too often overlooked, but are equally significant.
The first detail is that the man is brought to Jesus by friends. Rarely does Jesus seek someone to heal; more often, they come to Him or are brought to Him. This is good, because it is a lesson in humility. We must humble ourselves before God by showing that we are in need of His mercy, that we cannot fix things on our own. We need the prayers of the saints and others, who prod us on to seek the lovingkindness of our Lord.
The second detail is that the man is healed to both hear and speak. The miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospel convey not simply His power, but also teach a spiritual lesson. In this instance, we can see how often we are deaf to the Lord’s word, and that we need our ears unstopped by the finger (i.e., the Spirit) of God. When our ears clearly hear what Our Lord says, then our tongue is released to speak equally clear praises to God.
Finally, our Lord takes the man aside in order to heal him. Too often we think that we can worship God or hear Him while distracted by the various “noises” that both compete for our attention and play upon our ungodly desires. The life of baptism, which is the life of repentance, is lived by turning aside from both these distractions and our appetites.
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