Reflection for Friday, 5th week in Ordinary time 

By

 

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes

Today's WORD of GOD 

Mark 7: 33- 37 

 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly. 

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” 


 Today's Reflection 

Paradise Lost & Found

The 1st Reading Tells of Paradise Lost; the Gospel, of Paradise Regained. The Text from 1st Kings Fits into the Long Stretch of Time in between the Beginning & End of Salvation History. 

In the Paradise Lost story (*1), the Guilty Man & Woman become Ashamed of Their Nakedness, whereas Up to the Time of Their Sin, They had Experienced No Unease in Each Other’s Company & Sensed Each Aspect of Themselves as Created to the Image of GOD & as Very Good. 

The Physical Aspects of Our Earthly Paradise Show Up Again in the Gospel, where, in order to Cure the Deaf & Dumb Man, JESUS Put HIS Fingers in the Man’s Ears & Touched His Tongue with Saliva, & Looked Up to Heaven with a Groan. JESUS' Words & Action, even HIS Groan of Distress Over the Man’s Disability, Manifest the Human Way by which the Man was Led Back into Paradise.

In Fulfilling the Prophecy of Isaiah (ch. 35: 1- 5), JESUS is Flashing a Hint of Universal Salvation, Something Already Observed in Yesterday’s Story of the Syro-Phoenician Woman. 

We can Contrast the 2 Paradises, Lost & Regained. In Genesis Man & Woman, once They had Sinned, Realized that They were Naked & Felt Ashamed. 

In the Gospel, once the Man’s Hearing & Speech are Healed, Every Other Impediment is Dropped. With Joyful Spontaneity He Forgets the Injunction Not to Tell Anyone. Not only the Man Himself, but Everyone Around Him Starts to Proclaim the Good News of what JESUS has Accomplished. 

The Gospel has almost a Playful Interaction Here, since the More HE Urged Them Not to Tell Anyone, the More They Proclaimed It.

The 1st Parents Left Paradise & at once Felt Compelled to Cover Themselves with Defenses Against the Other Person. Fear of Self & Mistrust of the Other Inhibited the Spontaneity & Trust of Their Relationship. The Man Cured of Deafness & Dumbness Seems to Toss all Restrictions to the Wind, Dancing, Singing, Leaping, Shouting & Proclaiming the Good News. We Lose Paradise & We Re-Enter Paradise as Human Beings with Physical Bodies & Spiritual Souls, but the Bible Seems to Focus More on the Earthly Expressions of Joy Rather than on Its Spiritual Source.

World Day of the Sick 2022: Quotes and Messages

1. It is important to remember on World Day of the Sick to do good and assist all the people who are suffering as they are all children of God.

2. “Those who care for the sick and give of themselves with generosity and straightforward love like St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta are amongst the Church’s most loved.” Best wishes on World Day of the Sick.

3. “Caring for the sick requires professionalism, tenderness, straightforward and simple gestures freely given, like a caress that makes others feel loved”. Take care of the people suffering on this World Day of the Sick and help them.

4. World Day of the Sick is a day of celebration for all believers who offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses

5. "Treat a sick man with the medicine and a sad man with the music." - Amit Kalantri.

6.  "Being sick feels like you're wearing someone else's glasses”. - Megan Boyle.

7. "Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life." - Edvard Munch.

8. "Health is not valued till sickness comes." - Thomas Fuller.

9.  "You can't have healing without sickness." - T. D. Jakes.

10. "Be strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever."

-Unknown

Good Morning

Have an awesome Day

Happy feast of our Lady of Lourdes.

Let's pray for our sickly brethren