Walking with Jesus: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, September 8, 2024

Isaiah 35:4-7, James 2:1-5, Mark 7:31-37

Have you ever envisioned a time of peace — a time of no suffering — a time of healing for those suffering — a time of cooperation among the nations of the world — a time of people being concerned with each other and extending a hand to help — a time where people can live as one? If you share this vision in a social gathering, you might be told that it's just a pipe dream. If you share this with your Scripture reflection group, some might say “not in my lifetime” or “isn’t that what heaven is all about?” If it were possible to share this with the audiences listening to Isaiah or Jesus or even James when he spoke in Jerusalem, you might actually encounter the people hearing these wisdom preachers who are dreaming the dream. You are sharing the same hope with people who really could match these scenes with what happened when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on the gathered assembly at Pentecost.

This “event” could be labeled as a vision of eschatological fulfillment. Eschatological — or eschatology, coming from the Greek “eschata” or last things — is defined in The Catholic Study Bible (New American Bible, Revised Third Edition) as “a concern with the end time, or the end of the world as we know it, whether that involves a new historical era radically discontinuous from this one, or an entirely new cosmos after the destruction of the current one.” We could include in this a foretaste of heaven, when eyes will be opened and ears unstopped and hearts will leap for joy. The readings tell us very clearly that these marvels are brought about through the power of God. This is important as we recall, from our own experiences, what happens when we do, plan or envision things on our own ... and how easily these acts can divide.

Isaiah’s oracles depict two ways in which the renewal promised by God will be manifested: first, those who suffer physical afflictions will be healed, and second, the barren wilderness will be filled with the promise of new life. Isaiah is told to spread this “good news” to those whose lives have been broken and to those who are weak and filled with fear. He says God “… comes with vindication … to save you.” [Isaiah 35:4] Here — as a part of His promise of salvation — God is giving encouragement and strength to the fainthearted. Isaiah is predicting God coming in judgment for some — but for those whom the prophet addresses these words, God is bringing new life. All creation will be renewed. It is characterized by “… the eyes of the blind be opened … ears of the deaf be cleared … lame will leap like a stag … tongue of the mute will sing … streams will burst forth in the desert and rivers in the steppe ... burning sands will become pools … and the thirsty ground, springs of water.” [Isaiah 35:5-7] God is renewing the land and the people. This is God’s plan through the words of the Prophet,  envisioning Jesus and the Pentecost event.

James continues to describe God’s traits: In the Old Testament God is a just and impartial judge who cannot be tempted or bribed. James counsels his listeners — us included — to judge justly and without partiality. He fine-tunes this, picturing unacceptable discrimination in condemning the poor man while accepting the man dressed in fine clothes. In this case they err by judging from external appearance without taking into account the person's faith … and we judge the shabbily dressed person unjustly. God’s preference is on the side of those who are judged unjustly. The poor are the ones chosen to be heirs of the reign of God. Those who love what the world values seem to prefer lives of privilege to lives of faith. How true this is!

Mark describes Jesus’ healing with an example that employs practices typical of ancient magic. Healing comes to the deaf man immediately and Jesus directs him not to tell anyone. Jesus has done this before — and the more he does it, the more the recipients proudly proclaim the miracle. An earlier generation of scholars describe this as “The Messianic Secret.” Actually it is more complex: When Jesus arrives there is no single, uniformly, widely accepted concept of who the Messiah will be and what he is expected to accomplish. Many are trying to catch Jesus to prove He is not God, the Messiah, a prophet — this will take people away from the religious leaders. The main purpose of the healing is to restore meaning to the deaf man’s life. He is loved and whole again.

So I reflect on:

• In what way have I brought a person in need of healing to Jesus? The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is one; do I see myself as a Healer? Do you?
• So many vaccines and surgeries have healed so many — where do I long for healing? And where do I need to be healed? Do I bring this to God?

Sacred Space 2024 states:

“Jesus took the deaf man aside, away from the crowd, to heal him. Jesus did not want to draw attention but the word was proclaimed zealously. We pray for freedom to speak and not to be rendered silent by the crowd.

“Putting fingers into the deaf man’s ears and spitting to touch his tongue could have been offensive. Jesus’ desire to open up life to this man was decisive in what He did. May our tongues be released to proclaim Jesus who has done everything well.”