Reflection: Ephphatha...Be opened...

Jesus heals, even when we are not seeking Him. In today's Gospel of Mark, the people brought a deaf man who had a speech impediment, begging Jesus to heal him.  The man did not come to Jesus on his own.  He was brought to Jesus and Jesus laid His hands on the man and immediately, the man was healed. 

"Ephphatha...Be opened." Beautiful words of love, hope and healing!

“And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, 'Ephphatha!' (that is, 'Be opened!') And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” Mark 7:32-35

Jesus is calling you to come to Him.  This week we begin the season of Lent.  Come to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation where He can pour His love, sanctifying grace and mercy into your heart. Come to Him in the Mass where you will hear His Word and receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. When you receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, He heals you and gives you strength and grace to do His Will.  Come to Him in Eucharistic Adoration and He will give you rest.  Come, come as you are...  

Once Jesus fills you with His grace and healing love, He calls you to bring others to Him. He calls you to bring those who have ears but can not hear; those who have mouths but can not speak truth; those who have minds but can not understand reason; those who have eyes but can not see beauty. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He makes the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the paralytic walk and He frees those who are chained by demons and sin.  

Go out in love today and bring the love of Jesus to those you meet. Through prayer, fasting and offering little sacrifices, Jesus changes hearts.  Pope Francis calls you to an encounter with Jesus. When He comes to you, you can not help sharing His love with others.  

Through this ministry, I was blessed to meet the mother of a young blind teen Christopher who has an amazing gift of singing.  His life is a miracle, a story of love, hope and healing which his Mom gives witness to. One of the beautiful songs he sings is, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord."

Acts 16:13-15
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.  

Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord, that we may see You and invite others to come to You.