First Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7a/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10ab (R. 1b) Second Reading: James 2:1-5/Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 4:23/Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
Theme: Jesus Comes To Save Us
God is our saviour. In spite of the challenges we face each day, God comes to meet us with his healing grace. Even if he has to shed his blood for us, he is willing and ever ready. In the first reading, God communicates his heart of compassion and sends the Prophet Isaiah to his people Israel with these words of consolation saying: “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you’” (Is. 35:4). The salvation of God is holistic, transformative and total to the extent that those who were blind, deaf, lame and dumb before are now healed completely. Also, the difficult conditions metaphorically represented by the harshness of the desert are totally changed for the better. This is what the God of Jesus Christ does for his people, and we are not different, excluded and unqualified from receiving these unquantifiable blessings and favours.
It is in view of the aforementioned that the Psalmist sings about the great things God does for us, and then encourages all of us to pray to God thus: “Come, Lord, and save us” (Ps. 146:1b). He recounts the qualities of God and portrays him as faithful, just, provident, mighty healer, loving, compassionate, protector, caring, advocate, defender and one who has everybody in his heart. Particularly, the Responsorial Psalm paints God as one very close to the poor, to those whom society rejects and marginalises. It is this point, which today’s second reading expatiates to drive home the caring nature of God. Accordingly, St. James queries: “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?” (Jas. 2:5). Christianity has always had a great message for the poor. St. Paul wrote: “Consider your own call, brethren, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Yet God has chosen what the world considers foolish, to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world considers weak to shame the strong” (I Cor.1:26). Thus, the gospel offers so much to the poor and demands so much from the rich. Those who are looked down upon by society and who do not matter to anyone, matter deeply to God. They are the people who are attracted to the church. They are those who gladly listen to Jesus and follow him, while the rich young man goes away sorrowful, because he is possessed by his numerous possessions (cf. Mt. 19:16-30/Mk. 10:17-27/Lk. 18:18-30).
Be that as it may, we need not hasten to opine that God shows favouritism to the poor. According to William Barclay, James is not shutting the door on the rich – far from that. He is saying that the gospel of Christ is specially dear to the poor and that in it there is a welcome for the man who has none to welcome him, and that through it there is a value set on the man whom the world regards as valueless. Therefore, the unqualified “poor” generally refers to those deficient in material and financial means, and who by that very fact, usually show strong faith in God and depend on him. However, the term is more encompassing than the literal connotation. We can have a poor person who is actually not poor in spirit, and a rich person, poor in spirit. A typical example is a poor person who is so proud that he has no regard for God or man. Let us explore this further.
The Gospel according to Matthew is apt and is a very good resource that will help us to understand what it means to be poor. Whereas St. Luke is definite to call it simply “poor” without any qualification, St. Matthew qualifies it by adding “…in spirit,” that is, “poor in spirit” to mean any person – poor or rich – who depends totally on God and submits to his will (cf. Lk. 6:20; Mt. 5:3). In his commentary on the Beatitudes (Sermon 95, 1-2), Pope St. Leo the Great explains that when Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’, “he shows that the kingdom of heaven will be given to those whom lowliness of heart, rather than lack of means, commends.” Furthermore, St. Leo adds: “It is certain that the poor more easily achieve the blessing of humility than the rich. Gentleness goes with poverty, pride more commonly with riches. And yet, very many rich people do use their wealth for works of charity rather than as a means to puff their pride.” Therefore, the option for the poor – poor in all its ramifications – must characterise our own ways and means of relating with others in society. We should be sensitive to people’s needs whether they are rich or poor, whether they wear expensive clothes or not. We are not to be partial but saviours to people especially those who have no access to the basic things in life. One of the characteristics of God is complete impartiality. That is why he commanded through Moses: “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour” (Lev.19:15). Thus, undue and unfair partiality is not to be found with God. He does not allow himself to be influenced by a person’s wealth, tribe, ethnicity, social and economic status and religion. He is God for all! So, we too must do well to imitate this example.
Again, the geographical itinerary of Jesus Christ described vividly in today’s Gospel, tells us more about the saving nature of God. Jesus returns from Tyre, traverses Sidon and the Sea of Galilee en route to the region of the Ten Cities (Decapolis). This was the entire area around the Sea of Galilee from north to south. This, surely, tells us much more about the hard work and the relentless effort of God to reach everybody with his tender loving care. Jesus does not even spare some time for himself, but generously offers himself to the work of salvation. And as prophesied in the first reading, God, in the person of Jesus Christ, comes to save all who encounter him. Furthermore, notice the great respect Jesus exhibited when he healed the deaf-and-dumb man. He understood and identified with the man. The usual embarrassment such people go through in public anytime they want to express themselves make them a bit reserved. So, respectfully, Jesus takes him aside from the multitude to engage him privately and to heal him. Jesus knew that this was a man in great need, and the considerateness with which he healed him is a big lesson for us. Jesus did not only accord him respect, he also treated him with attention, patience, availability and tender-loving care. And the result was the acknowledgement: “He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mk. 7:37). Jesus will make us well too if we surrender to him!
Beloved in Christ, our God is still in the business of salvation, and his scope is the whole wide world! He saves us from all the things which seek to enslave us. Let us ponder how Jesus healed the deaf and dumb man with concern and compassion. Whatever makes us feel like giving up in life, be it spiritual, health, economic, financial and social challenges; conflicts and scandals in the world, can be handled by God. Christ can and will do it! What we need to do is to open our ears to him, proclaim the true Gospel, trust and depend on him. May Christ speak “ephphatha” (be opened) to our situations and grant us breakthroughs! Dearest one, be strong and fear not, for, God is with us. Happy Sunday and may God bless us! Remember: #Jesus-Comes-To-Save-Us#
