In the midst of the earthquake in Haiti, the struggles faced in Afghanistan and other countries in our world, the hurricane in Louisiana and the healing people seek during this Coronavirus pandemic, today’s Scriptures remind us to “be open” to God’s power to heal and says to hearts that are frightened, God comes to save us.
We often cry out asking for God’s help. We wonder why all of this is happening? We need you, Lord! In this Sunday’s Gospel,' a deaf man is brought to Jesus. The man is healed. Jesus not only opened his ears but also gave him back his voice. What are our cries? What do we want to hear? Who will hear our cries? The God of all grace who created us, will come to save us.
Today, along with all our struggles and pains, we are challenged by the Gospel to acknowledge Jesus’ healing presence in every area our lives. During these times, it maybe difficult accept or even understand the challenge of the Gospel. God did not bring us this far to leave us now.
We are all in need of healing. The spiritual dimension of healing is different from curing. The prophet Isaiah gives us some insight into what is healing. Isaiah 35 says, “To those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!” In our world today, people are frightened, disappointed and skeptical but Jesus’ healing brings us strength and comfort in our times of fear. This is not just cure where the illness or situation is gone or taken away. The healing of Jesus empowers us to acknowledge that something is wrong and moves us to not let this illness or situation control our lives or make us less then who God created us to be.
If we have food on our tables, we are blessed. If we have a place to call home, we are blessed. If we have relatively good health and people we can call our family and friends, we are blessed. If we are blessed, we are called to be a blessing to others in whatever way possible.
The scriptures challenge us as it did the deaf man, “Ephphatha!” Be open! When we are open to God’s gift of healing we find that there are many expectations and greater hope. God has done everything well for us. God wish to change us and our world. However, this is not forced upon us. We must be willing to change. Through faith, we follow and believe that God can do anything but fail.
Today, we ask God to open our eyes, our ears and our hearts so that the power of God can become more evident in our lives and in our world. Never stop praying. Never stop believing. Never give up. We may never understand why so much is happening in our lives or in our world. One thing for sure is that the healing presence of God is all around us. Let our openness to God bring healing to our brokenness, comfort to our fears and strength to our journey.