TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B

[cappie]

The story is told of Saint Francis of Assisi going down to a village with some of his brothers. Their purpose was to preach the Gospel. When they arrived at the village, they quickly engaged the locals in conversation and helped the villagers with their work, sharing stories, entering into the life of the community. As the end of the day drew near, Francis said to one of his companions that it was time for them to return to the friary. They were about to make their way out of the village, when one of Francis’ companions, said, “Didn’t we come here to preach the Gospel to these people? When are we going to do that?” Francis turned to his brother and said, “If these people have not heard the Gospel today, then reading from the Bible will not make any difference to them!” And so, they went on their way.

The Gospel imperative is always one of active engagement, but never as an optional extra, the most important word in the phrase “Contemplation and Action” is “AND.”

This, then, is one of the important connections to be made with today’s reading from Mark’s Gospel. It is picture of Jesus “in action,” bringing healing to a man who had been deaf and mute.

It is important to remember that people such as the deaf-mute  and lepers  were effectively excluded from any kind of public access to God through the temple. The coming of Jesus meant that the outcast and marginalized had direct access to God.

At the same time, the approach and touch of Jesus holds a significance that goes far beyond mere “nice-ness.” It was a powerful indication to the people that God was working in their midst to bring about the time of peace that had been spoken of and promised centuries before.

And in the case of this story, the underlying spirituality of hope is supplied by an oracle from the prophet Isaiah, in the words of today’s reading from Isaiah 35:5-6:

 “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; for water gushes in the desert, streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah was writing for the people in exile in Babylon, offering them hope  yet the quotation from Isaiah is also understood as words of hope for exiles of every time and place. And there are perhaps no sorrier exiles than those who are estranged from the living God. There will come a time, says Isaiah in effect, when what is wrong will be righted.

Mark understood Jesus, the Son of God, as bringing in the time spoken of by Isaiah, that in Jesus what is wrong with the world is being made right, what is broken is being made whole, what is afflicted is being healed. And so, Mark makes a connection between his present and the world of the prophet Isaiah.

Nevertheless, the story does not end with Mark’s Gospel.  Rather, the story of the Good News continues right through to today, to this place, here and now.

At least, that is the intention of the Good News: that it be a living and continuing reality in the presence of God’s people in places where there is distress, injustice, and all that is contrary to God’s purpose and vision for a saved humanity.  When Christians seek the lost, comfort the grieving, and heal the sick, they are neither acting for their own sake, nor because they are “nice” people. They are certainly not acting because they believe they can earn their place in the kingdom by what they do. No, Christians do these things because they are called to continue the work of Jesus. They share in his ministry and take the message of the Good News into the places where people are unable to hear it for whatever reason. They take the message to places where people have no voice, among them the poor and the powerless. For in today’s world, the deaf and the mute are found everywhere, even in the church.

Mark’s Gospel is a reminder of God’s will that suffering should not be the common condition of humankind. The letter of James reminds us that they have a share in exactly the same work as Jesus. In a sense, when the faithful accept their calling and engage the ministry of Jesus, they actually become Jesus, and the Kingdom of Heaven is once more brought near – every time, and in every loving, care-filled, compassion-saturated action.