Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 08, 2024 – 10:30 AM
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
Deacon Sharon Kay Talley
Isaiah 35:4-7a | Psalm 146:6-10
James 2:1-5 | Mark 7:31-37
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethnicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. When he was a college student, the legendary leader considered becoming a Christian. He read the Gospels and was moved by them. It seemed to him that Christianity offered a solution to the caste system that plagued the people of India.
As you may recall, the caste system is a social hierachy passed down through families and it can dictate the profession a person can work in as well as aspects of their social lives, including whom they can marry.
One Sunday, Gandhi went to a local church. He had decided to see the pastor and ask for instruction on the way of salvation. But when he entered the church, which consisted of mostly white people and clergy, the ushers refused to give him a seat. They told him to go and worship with his own people. So he quietly left and never went back. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.”
This tragic story illustrates the very sin that James writes about in our second reading today. To favor some people and to disregard others based on outward factors is a sin that has plagued the church in every generation since the early church in about the second century.
This reading reminds us to show love and respect to everyone and partiality to none.
Around 2012 before David and I answered our calls to the clergy, we were Episcopalians. One day we decided to attend Mass at St. Anthony’s Church in Desert Hot Springs. Upon our arrival, we seated ourselves in a pew at the front of the church. Shortly thereafter, a parishioner arrived to tell us that this was “his pew” even though it was not marked “reserved” and we had not been assisted by anyone showing us where we could sit.
At St. Cecilia’s, we allow people to sit wherever they choose, and if visitors arrive, no matter what nationality, sexual orientation, or religion, we welcome them, give them a program and allow them to be seated anywhere they want.
Are you truly listening to the voice of God? Are you willing to forego your own desires and plans in order to follow the will of God in your life? These are important questions with which we must grapple as we strive to live as faithful disciples of Jesus.
This Sunday’s readings provide an opportunity for reflection and meditation on the nature of discipleship and the responsibilities that come with following Jesus. In today’s first reading from Isaiah, we are encouraged to remember that God is there to bring about justice and salvation in a world marked by fear and despair. Vulnerability in the face of adversity does not mean defeat…it opens the door to ivine intervention.
The eyes of the blind will be opened by God’s intervention just as Jesus opened the deaf man’s ears in today’s Gospel. Today’s Gospel from Mark tells the story of Jesus healing a deaf man with a speech impediment. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of listening and being able to hear the Word of God in order to truly understand and follow Jesus. This story also serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion and solidarity in our own lives. In this story, Jesus not only heals the man physically, but He also shows him compassion and love.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to emulate this example and show love and compassion to all those we encounter, especially those who are marginalized or in need of healing.
This story also challenges us to consider the ways in which we may be deaf to the voice of God in our own lives. For example, are there areas of your life where you are not listening to the prompting from the Holy Spirit? Or are there obstacles that are blocking you from fully hearing and responding to God’s call? These are questions we need to ask ourselves in order to grow in our discipleship and deepen our relationship with God.
Through the power of Jesus, wholeness and healing are brought into our lives. Just as Jesus healed the deaf man, Jesus is able to heal us of our own spiritual deafness and speech impediments.
Spiritual deafness occurs when you find it difficult or impossible to hear the voice of God. The signs of spiritual deafness include:
–not understanding the Word of God
–carelessness about living a practical holy life; overwhelming resence of sin in your life
–blasphemy or showing contempt for God
–difficulties with your relationship with God
–inability to lead any successful spiritual task
–inability to distinguish the voice of Jesus from that of the devil.
Again, you can overcome spiritual deafness by praying, listening to the Holy Spirit, and opening your heart to the power of Jesus’ love nd mercy.
Through prayer, reflection, and a willingness to listen to the voice of God, we can experience the transformative power of Jesus’ love and mercy in our lives.
So let us strive to listen with open hearts and minds to the message of today’s Gospel and allow it to transform our lives. Let us show compassion and love to all those we encounter, following the example of Jesus in reaching out to those in need. And let us trust in the healing power of Jesus to bring wholeness and restoration to our lives, knowing that through Him, all things are possible.
AMEN.