Ephphatha - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

This is my first homily at my weekend parish assignment for the year at Immaculate Conception Parish in Union, MO.  Thus, in this homily, I'm "introducing myself" along with reflecting upon the Gospel's theme and its application for our lives.  

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090918.cfm

Since I was ordained a deacon in May, I’ve been blessed to celebrate three baptisms.  These are truly beautiful occasions, even with the children occasionally fussing around and crying, even when in one occasion, some of the water accidently got in the baby’s eyes – oops!  We recognize that what happens at baptism begins a permanent reality, that those baptized forever become sons and daughters of God.  One prayer used during the ceremony is called the “Ephphatha” prayer, which comes from today’s Gospel passage.  We heard how Jesus used saliva to touch this man’s ears and tongue to restore him to full health, and, while we thankfully don’t use saliva – that would be gross – we still remember this at every baptism.  The prayer says, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.  May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”  When the celebrant says this, he lightly touches the ears and mouth of the child, as a visible sign to what the Lord is doing in our hearts.  So all of us, when we were baptized, received this prayer, but sometimes we can wonder, did it really have an effect in our lives?  Are we really able to hear the Lord speak to us in a powerful way?

There are many times in my life when I’ve wondered this.  I grew up in the town of Columbus, Nebraska, a rural town of about 20,000 people.  I went to Catholic school and attended Mass every Sunday with my parents and sister, and I’m very grateful to them for this foundation of faith.  I loved serving at Mass, singing, and learning about my faith.  However, like nearly everyone, once I got into junior high, I became much more aware of the world, how there are so many different ways of faith and even many people who don’t have faith.  What was also tough for me was seeing how people who are leaders in faith could do horrible things, and it seemed that others without Christianity could still do great and heroic things.  I knew that I wanted the truth and didn’t want to live a lie, so I wondered, am I being raised in the true faith?  At first, I felt the temptation to keep these many questions to myself; I didn’t want to embarrass myself by asking them.  So I continued to appear reverent, (folded hands!), but I would spend my time at Mass just wondering if this was really true.

However, there was a crucial moment in which my ears were opened to hear God speak and my mouth to begin to proclaim his word.   I went to a retreat before my freshman year of high school, four days in which I went with other high school students and adult leaders to a retreat center in the middle of the countryside.  In fact, when I drive in the countryside around Union, I’m reminded of the landscape at this retreat center, set upon a hill and overlooking a beautiful forest and valley.  During this retreat, we had daily Mass, a time for confessions, talks throughout the day, and many fun and hilarious times, including a mudfight and dance party, but most of all, we were encouraged to be honest and open about what we wanted from the Lord. 

The crucial moment happened on the first night of the retreat as we began a bonfire in the evening.  When we were all seated around the raging fire, the retreat leader asked us to take a couple of minutes of silence to take everything in – the sun beginning to set, the trees lightly rustling in the wind, the birds chirping, the beauty of the landscape, and the beauty of all of us gathered in silence.  In this time of silence, as I took everything in, I sensed God’s presence so palpably, and while I didn’t hear any particular words to me, I could sense Him sharing His tremendous love, His care for all of creation, and His love for me in particular, that I was created as part of this glory.  During a time of sharing that happened afterward, I felt impelled to share this with the group, to say that everything beautiful here couldn’t have just sprang randomly into existence but needed a loving creator.  So in this moment, I heard the Lord speaking His love to me, and I was then able to speak about His glory and share this.

This retreat, which had so many other graceful moments, began a powerful journey for me.  It hasn’t always been easy, and there have been many doubts, sins, and questions along the way, but I’ve grown so much through prayer, friendship, and finding answers to my questions about my faith.  All of this has led to me eventually hearing the call to priesthood, receiving the courage to say yes, and leading into ministry at this moment.  Most importantly, the Lord has continually shown me who I am as His son from baptism, an identity and belonging that can never be taken away. 

I am convinced that Jesus wants this for everyone, both for all of us and for everyone else outside, that we may hear his voice and to follow him as disciples, being welcomed into His community, the Church, which we find here at our parish.  Because of our baptism, we have “spiritual senses” to sense the Lord’s presence in our lives.  Just as we have ears to hear noise, our soul is able to listen to the Lord, who desires to speak with us.  Take some time to reflect, have you had a moment like mine in which you heard the Lord’s loving voice?  If so, then take some time to return to that moment and give thanks for it.  If not, don’t be afraid to ask the Lord to speak to you in a new and powerful way in prayer.

Today’s Gospel shows us how this can be done.  First, Jesus takes the deaf and mute man away by himself.  This shows us that Jesus wants to be with us personally, so we can take time each day to set the work and technology aside, to take 5-10 minutes in prayer and silence.  Second, we see how the Lord wants to speak with us in conversation.  We first tell him honestly what is going on, just as this man’s friends explained what was wrong, and then we can allow the Lord to speak back to us.  He already does so through Scripture, so we can reflect on passages and stories from the Gospels; or, just as I experienced, He speaks to us through natural beauty in creation, even through saliva!  Third, experiencing the Lord speak to us then leads us to have our mouth open to speak about Him, to share this good news.  I know that myself and Fr. Joe would love hearing about how the Lord is working in your life, and you can also share these experiences with other members of our parish. 

The Ephphatha prayer said at baptism was not just for that one moment but for our entire lives.  Indeed, as we receive this Eucharist, the Lord wants to open our hearts in a new way.  I’m going to read this prayer again; let me pray this now for all of you as we journey together in faith.  “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.  May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”