Be opened!

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Today’s text will trigger the ire of those with a penchant for the pedantic. As it is often said, “the devil is in the details!” Our Lord travels North before travelling eastward in order to make His way home to the South. A straight path in the direction of Galilee to the south of His current position would have been the most efficient and quickest way to get home. But our Lord chooses to make a round-a-bout detour to get to where He wishes to go. This is no coincidence nor directionless meandering. Everything our Lord does is calculated.

Today’s episode takes place again in Gentile or pagan territory, the Decapolis, the very lands where He was expelled after having exorcised the Gerasene demoniac. The reason for His summary dismissal is unclear. His healing and exorcism of the demoniac may have frightened the locals and the episode of the swine plunging into the sea in a lemming-like mass suicide and the ensuing economic loss to the owners may have been squarely blamed on Him. But here, the people of the area seem to have forgotten their past hostility. In today’s story, they see the Lord as a problem solver by bringing this deaf and mute man to meet the Lord.

Now we can assume that this deaf mute was also a local, thus a Gentile and not a Jew. It is indeed strange that our Lord would use an Aramaic word “Ephphatha” instead of some other more commonly known word in Greek, the lingua franca of the area. Well, it may be argued that this would not have made a difference since the man could not hear.

But it is the actions of our Lord which deserve our attention. To heal the man, the Lord placed His fingers in the man's ears and His spittle on the man's tongue. To us modern folks, this is indeed cringe worthy. Many have wondered why He did such things in healing the man. Some suggest that it was a sign that gave the Gentile man additional confidence that Jesus was in fact healing him, for Gentiles sometimes employed such methods in their attempts to heal people. Others have proposed that this foreshadows the outpouring of the blood of Christ that will bring full restoration not only to our souls but finally to our bodies in the new heaven and earth.

Perhaps, the depths and significance of this miracle is lost on the deaf mute and the audience, but every Jew was seeing in this miracle the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies which we had just heard in the first reading: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.” Our Lord would subsequently heal both the blind and the lame and complete the list of healings mentioned in the prophecy. But these miracles are merely signs pointing to a far greater prophecy of Isaiah: “Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.” Our Lord is no mere wandering miracle worker. He is the promised Saviour not just of Israel but of the whole world. In fact, His name “Jesus” means “God saves.”

But the Gospel intends to go beyond showing us the ability of our Lord to physically heal the deaf and fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament. The deaf mute man is a symbol of humanity, of modern society in particular. We are witnessing a society that has grown deaf to God, a society that is no longer “open” to the voice of God speaking through every man’s conscience, a society that can no longer speak or communicate with God because it has lost the vocabulary of prayer. And when man ceases to listen and speak to God, he can no longer authentically communicate with his neighbour. Although we often boast of living in an Information Age with the most sophisticated means of communication available at our finger tips, there is a lack of deep meaningful communication that builds community.

We could say that the world has become deaf and tongue-tied! How is it possible to listen to the Divine voice while tuning into the clamour of the television, the internet and so many other things? Ears filled with a hankering for the things of this world cannot distinguish the voice of the Almighty, for it is impossible to pay attention to two conversations simultaneously. Either one speaks with God, or with Satan! Today no one speaks of God, of the striving for sanctity, the hatred that we should have for sin or the great risk that modern man runs of being thrown eternally into hell. In general, people’s lives revolve around personal concerns, trivial matters inflated beyond reality, while choosing to be forgetful of the Creator and supernatural realities. Those who do not externalise their love for the Lord through prayer and an intimate relationship with Him, are deaf by choice.

If we sense our own deafness in the face of this grave scenario, we ought to ask ourselves: what is the solution? This Sunday’s Gospel does not only diagnose the problem but provides us with the cure. We must approach the Lord in faith through His sacraments and His Church. When we encounter our Lord in the sacraments in which He instituted, we too are similarly transformed and our spiritual senses healed. Our vision, our hearing, our sense of touch, taste and smell should be overhauled by a glimpse of God’s Truth, Beauty and Goodness. That is why our churches must be beautiful and our liturgies rich in symbolism and grandeur. Beauty is not just a matter of aesthetics nor is it a question of personal taste. It is meant to open the “eyes of faith,” to put in sharp focus and vivid colour, what God is bringing about in the world. We have become too over familiar and comfortable with our own iconoclastic and white-washed churches. We have become blind and deaf to the means by which God wishes to communicate to us.

Just like our Lord looking up at the very final moment before the deaf man is healed, our common mundane everyday human situation is elevated into the presence of God in these moments when we encounter Him in the beauty and elegance of our churches and liturgy. Beauty, justice, love, and mercy are no longer external to us but now we participate intimately with their source in the triune God. Heaven and earth overlap, time collapses.

Life and reality viewed through the sacraments put our most basic assumptions on trial. God is not somewhere else, too busy, or unconcerned with the created order. Instead, all of creation is “charged” with the goodness of God and every inch of it participates in the life of God sacramentally. In this way, the sacraments and sacramentals serve as a revelation of sorts, a window into what is most real, and helps us wonder more truly about what God is doing in the world. Through and in the sacraments and sacramentals, we hear our Lord’s command once again: “Ephphatha!” “Be opened!” They help us to see sacredness even in the midst of human depravity, wealth in the midst of poverty, and redemption in the midst of human fallenness.

The Bridge between the Old and the New

Third Sunday of Advent Year A

If you have ever stepped into an Eastern Orthodox Church, one of the things that will strike you is that the view of the sanctuary where the altar is located is concealed by a screen decorated by a multitude of icons, the iconostasis. For the Eastern Christians, the iconostasis does not serve as a barrier that separates the nave from the sanctuary but is actually a doorway into the sanctuary, into the Holy of Holies. For the iconostasis symbolises the barrier that divides Heaven and Earth which has been torn. A permanent feature of the iconostasis is the icon of the Theotokos, who stands on the left of the Royal Door, and an icon of Christ the Pantokrator, who stands to the right. And then immediately to the right of the icon of Christ stands St John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ. The Forerunner prepares the Way for Christ’s first coming, and Christ and the Church honours the Forerunner in perpetuity.

Just as the iconostasis act as a bridge between Heaven and Earth, St John the Baptist stands as a bridge of continuity between the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament prophets all looked forward to the time of John and spoke of the Messiah who was then to appear. The Old Testament closes with this prophecy of the coming of Elijah (Mal. 4:5, 6) and the New Testament opens with a record of a fulfillment of that prophecy (Matt. 3:1–3 3). The prophetic office of the Old Testament times, reached a climax in John when the old reached its hopes and gave way to the new. This is the reason why in today’s gospel, our Lord pays the highest tribute to St John. John is languishing in prison because he had the courage to call Herod to repentance for marrying his brother’s wife. Soon he would be beheaded for the stand he took.

As he approaches his own death, St John the Baptist must now be certain that his mission is complete, that the One, whose Way he had been preparing, had actually arrived. So having heard reports of Jesus’ exploits, John sends his disciples to question our Lord, “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” Many Christians are perturbed by John’s question; isn’t he the cousin of our Lord? Didn’t he baptise our Lord at the river Jordan and announce Him to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? Some commentators have tried to understand this by arguing that it was John’s disciples who had doubts, and therefore, John had sent them to our Lord for the purpose of clearing their doubts and with the hope that they will now follow Him. Others would explain John’s actions by saying that he expected a powerful Messiah that would baptise with Spirit and fire, and now there appears this gentle one who “will not quench a smoldering wick” (Isaiah 42:3).

Whether it was John or his disciples or both who harboured doubts, Our Lord calms their disquiet by showing him that the prophecy is being fulfilled in himself, “Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.” Our Lord is alluding to the prophecies of the Prophet Isaiah. He is telling John’s disciples that He is indeed the fulfillment of the prophecies.

But Our Lord adds this beatitude at the end, “Happy (or Blessed) is the man who does not lose faith in me.” Of course, the beatitude can be taken to apply to everyone, to all Christians who do “not lose faith” in Christ. But this is spoken to the Baptist in the first instance. It must have come as a powerful assurance to John, for John is indeed the one who did “not lose faith” in Christ. These words were meant as an encouragement to John, despite his seemingly bleak condition and uncertainty, to continue to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and not lose or falter in his faith. These words still have great relevance for us Christians today. Many of us go through seasons in our Christian life where we struggle with doubts and faith in God, in Christ and in His Church, especially now when we are confronted with the darkness of unbelief, the enveloping darkness of sin, the scandal of sexual abuse, the confusing reports we receive about the happenings and controversies within the Church. In such dark times, it is easy to doubt and to lose heart. But our Lord assures us again, “happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”

Like St John the Baptist, we are invited to look at our Lord and all His works in this chaotic world of ours. In the midst of darkness, there is the light of His grace; in the midst of confusion, there is clarity of His teachings; in the midst of hopelessness, there is His promise of salvation. In different ways, we too are called to give witness to this faith as St John the Baptist did.  As St Paul tells us, “you too have to be patient, do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming is soon.”

Then comes the part where our Lord states that John the Baptist is a true “witness” to His mission and ministry. The Greek word for witness is “matyron” from where we derive the word “martyr.” Some have questioned whether St John the Baptist could be accurately described as a martyr for Christ, since he preceded Christ and his imprisonment and execution appears to have been occasioned by his outspoken opposition to Herod. Well, the Venerable St Bede had this answer, “There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.” John was indeed a martyr for Christ. He was not a “reed swaying in the breeze,” his conviction did not falter and his faith did not stumble in the face of death.  He would not be moved. He would not change his message when the religious big shots showed up. And finally, it was his uncompromising stand for Truth that got him thrown in prison and finally beheaded.

So, our Lord was right when He made this pronouncement, “of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen.” Having paid such a great tribute to this man, our Lord adds this cryptic verse, “yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.” Who is our Lord referring to? After Our Lord Jesus died and rose again, everything that the Old Testament prophets and St John the Baptist looked forward to, we Christians know and have. Everything they had hoped for, we understand. All that they believed would come, we know has come. John could never truly preach the gospel, because the gospel is all about the death and resurrection of Christ, but we can, we who have been baptised into Christ’s death and have risen with Him in baptism. St John the Baptist never experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, but we have at our baptism and confirmation. Yes, we are the ones our Lord was referring to “the least in the kingdom of heaven.”  This is because as our Lord tells us in Luke’s gospel (10:23-24), “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.” Well, we have seen and heard what St John the Baptist longed to hear and see.

Our Lord gave this glowing tribute to John. And my brothers and sisters, as hard as it is to believe, one day if you are faithful to Him unto death, if you are not a “reed swaying in the breeze”, if you patiently wait and not lose heart, He will give you a glowing tribute before everyone who has ever lived. Live with this conviction. Deny yourself as St John did and live unto Christ. Don’t live for the approval of man, but for the approval of God. And on that final day, you too will receive praise from the very lips of Jesus Christ. What higher goal could we possibly live for?

Lead us to the Light, Lead us to the Truth

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Although we Christians have been taught and we know that Easter is our greatest and most important feast in the Church’s liturgical calendar year, most of us, if not all of us, have a soft and sentimental spot for Christmas. One can safely say, Christmas is everyone’s favourite feast (for believers and non-believers alike). But I must say that what I love about Christmas by far, is the last day of this shortest season, the Feast of the Epiphany, because of its sacramental richness displayed in the many customs that have been passed from one generation to the next. In every way, the Church, through these sacramentals and customs, is giving life to, and making visible the very meaning of the word “Epiphany.”

In common and secular parlance, epiphany refers to insights, realisations and awakenings, “aha moments” and even major, life-changing revelations that have had the greatest impact on our lives. The word takes its name from the Greek “epiphania,” which denotes the visit of a god to earth. To us Catholics, the Epiphany is more than just a beautiful word; it signifies the feast in which we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus Christ. The feast actually unites three events in the life of Christ when His divinity, as it were, shines through His humanity: the adoration of the Magi; the baptism of Christ in the Jordan; and the first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. Moreover, at Epiphany the Church looks forward to the majestic second coming of Christ when His manifestation as God will be complete.

The story of the Magi and the brightness of the star also speaks to the minds and hearts of the men and women of our time, men and women who continually search for truth. Saint Augustine wrote, that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Pope Emeritus Benedict in his homily on this feast describes these wise men in this fashion: “These men who set out towards the unknown were, in any event, men with a restless heart; driven by a restless quest for God and the salvation of the world.  They were filled with expectation, not satisfied with their secure income and their respectable place in society. They were looking for something greater. They were no doubt learned men, quite knowledgeable about the heavens and probably possessed of a fine philosophical formation. But they desired more than simply knowledge about things. They wanted above all else to know what is essential. They wanted to know how we succeed in being human. And therefore they wanted to know if God exists, and where and how he exists. Whether he is concerned about us and how we can encounter him. Nor did they want just to know. They wanted to understand the truth about ourselves and about God and the world. Their outward pilgrimage was an expression of their inward journey, the inner pilgrimage of their hearts. They were men who sought God and were ultimately on the way towards him.”

In this splendid exposition of the condition of the Magi, Pope Benedict helps us to see the deep correlation between the quest of the Magi and that of our largely secularised non-Christian society. These wise men were Gentiles, not Jews. The term magoi in Greek refers to a wide variety of people, including fortune-tellers, priestly augurs, magicians and astrologers. Because of their connexion with the star in this story, it is safe to conclude that St Matthew identified them mostly with the last group. Instead of searching the scriptures, they looked to the skies, to the stars and constellations.  But in reward for their ardent though perhaps misguided search for truth, God in His great mercy, led them to Christ anyhow.

The universal message of Epiphany is also reflected in the other readings. The first reading speaks of non-Jews bringing gifts in homage to the God of Israel. Here the Prophet Isaiah, consoling the people in exile, speaks of the restoration of the New Jerusalem from which the glory of the Lord becomes visible even to the pagan nations. Thus, the prophet in this passage celebrates the Divine Light emanating from Jerusalem and foresees all the nations acknowledging and enjoying that Light and walking by it. Again in today’s Psalm, we are told that all the kings of the earth will pay homage to and serve the God of Israel and His Messiah. Thus, the readings express hope for a time when “the people of God” will embrace all nations.

As a privileged recipient of a Divine “epiphany”, Saint Paul in the second reading reveals God’s “secret plan,” that the Gentiles also have a part with the Jews in Divine blessings. Hence, St. Paul explains that the plan of God includes both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus implemented this Divine plan by extending membership in His Church, making it available to all peoples. Thus, the Jews and the Gentiles “now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.” Hence, there are no second-class members in the Church among the faithful. If you’ve ever wondered what the word “Catholic” means, here we have it.  Derived from the Greek word meaning “according to the whole,” it means that Christ did not come to establish some local religious sect for a select few, one “cult” among many.  No, the Church He founded is “catholic” or universal, spread over the whole world, welcoming the whole human race into one nation, one family, under one King.

God has shown us that pagans can be mysteriously drawn to him and used by him, at times even through their own imperfect traditions of wisdom.  Michelangelo depicts this beautifully in the mural paintings of the Sistine Chapel. Lining the top of one wall of the chapel are famous paintings of Old Testament prophets. Opposite them are not New Testament apostles as one may expect. But rather, a row of the Sybils, the pagan prophetesses of the ancient world, in whose oracles there were discovered shadowy allusions to a future Saviour.  Illustrating the insightful humour of Michelangelo, one of the Sibyls has her mouth agape with astonishment, her eyes fixed on the fresco of the risen Christ at the altar wall of the chapel.  Indeed, the deepest desires of all peoples, the elements of truth found in all their religions and philosophies, are fulfilled in Christ. From the very beginning of the Christian story, then, Jesus is clearly not just the Jewish messiah who has come to deliver the people of Israel from foreign oppression.  No, He is the universal king, the ruler of all, who has come to tear down the hostile wall dividing Jew from Gentile, nation from nation. This is the magnificent message of the Epiphany.

Does this mean that all religions are equal and that we should not impose our ideas upon others?  Not at all. St. Justin Martyr said that there are “seeds of the Word” scattered throughout the world.  But seeds are meant to sprout, grow, and bear fruit. These seeds are merely meant to be preparation for the full and complete proclamation of the good news in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light who illumines our personal existence and who guides us toward the fullness of life in heaven. He is the light who guides us on our journey of faith. All peoples of the world have a right to this “Catholic” fullness.  And it is our obligation to share it.

When we think about the condition of the world today, we see a lot of darkness or, at least, a lot of fog. Many are longing for truth and meaning, hope and joy, whether they are actively searching or not. The task of the new evangelisation calls us to bring the light of Christ into this darkness, to help people to see through the fog of confusion in a culture of increasing secularism and relativism, to sieve through the many ideologies, opinions and subjective truths, and to identify and recognise the Truth. For us Christians, the Truth is a person, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Church has the mandate from Christ to offer the light of the Gospel to all people. Christ is the light of the nations who came to offer salvation to all people. We are all called to be stars to lead others along the path toward Christ, to show God’s light by the way we live, speak, and act.