The Lord our God is faithful, even though we are unfaithful. And in His mercy and love, He will deal with us according to our sins. And even then, His love for us abounds.
In today’s Gospel, we see the Lord our God and Savior Jesus Christ in action, how intimately He touches us. Fingers in our ears. Touches our tongue. The intimacy of God. Who can heal us with just a word, and yet, in His love, lays His hands upon us.
Likewise, we should follow Him as we minister to His flock He sends our way. By healing and deliverance, we shall demonstrate the glory of our Lord. Amen.
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First reading
1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19
Solomon is unfaithful; the Lord moderates his wrath
One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’
And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.
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Gospel
Mark 7:31-37
‘He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak’
Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
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