Under normal circumstances, no sick person wishes to remain in his or her condition of sickness. Their prayers, efforts and wish will always be about health restoration and fullness of life. Under normal circumstances, no right-thinking prisoner would love to remain in the prison. His prayer, efforts and wish will always be about his liberation.
Now, the people of Israel found themselves in a very miserable and pitiable condition in the land of exile. The kind of imprisonment they experienced in foreign lands was bitter and severe. There was no reasonable freedom in certain aspects of their existence as they languished in exile. Theirs was a situation that is almost like the situation of someone whose head is strapped into a big metal object at the bottom of the sea. At that particular point in time, the only need of such person is to be freed so that he could breathe in some air. In their bondage, the people of Israel longed for a Messiah who would come and save them.
Now, Isaiah who prophesied during that period of great bondage, suffering and expectation of the Messiah outlined the signs that will accompany the coming of the Messiah: “THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE OPENED; THE EARS OF THE DEAF SHALL BE OPENED; THE LAME MAN SHALL LEAP LIKE DEER; AND THE TONGUE OF THE MUTE SHALL SING FOR JOY. Water shall break forth both in the wilderness and in the desert” (cf. Isa. 35:4-7a). In fact, the allusions to “HEALING” and “WATER” point to the fact that there will be FULLNESS OF LIFE when the Messiah comes. But then, the people of Israel (on exile) didn’t complain that they were physically blind or deaf or dumb or mute. Why then should Isaiah place much more emphasis on BLINDNESS, DEAFNESS, LAMENESS and MUTENESS? Why didn’t God just promise that He will deliver them from their oppressors, build mansions for them, enlarge their coasts and their farmlands, increase their cattle, multiply their earnings, and so on?
In response to the above questions, let us quickly recall that there was/were REASON(S) behind Israel’s deportation into exile. Certain actions led to their being carried off into exile. The writings of the prophets reveal to us that the people of Israel went on exile because they refused to LISTEN to the words (and warnings) of God. In fact, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the fact that despite the warnings of God against idolatry, Manasseh the King of Israel (the son of Hezekiah) refused to LISTEN to the Word of God: “…And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not LISTEN. Therefore the Lord brought upon them captains of the army of the King of Assyria; and they were carried off to Babylon” (cf. 2 Chr. 33:9-11). Thus, Israel’s unfortunate situation was caused by their UNFAITHFULNESS and INDIFFERENCE to the WORD of God. The word of God came to them through different channels, but they were DEAF to HEAR and HEED; BLIND to SEE what God wants of them; LAME to WALK in God’s ways; and MUTE or DUMB to SPEAK for God and for justice. Now, it becomes very imminent that the Messiah, who would come to heal them, should, first and foremost, heal their “spiritual” organs (of sight, hearing, walking and speaking): those organs that failed and paved way for their current imprisonment should be the main target of the Messiah. If those organs are not healed, there won’t be any true healing. If those organs are not freed, there won’t be any true freedom. If those diseased parts are not healed, the entire body will still remain sick.
From the above, I am sure we are beginning to understand that PHYSICAL blindness, deafness, lameness or dumbness is not the point of today’s readings. In fact, if the readings are just referring to those physical ailments, then most of us may not need to listen to them because we are not PHYSICALLY blind, deaf, lame or dumb.
The point of the whole discussion is that the HEALING OF THE DEAF AND DUMB PERSON in the gospel passage (Mk 7:31-37) of today is a great pointer to our own need. If we can be much more attentive to our SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL and MORAL lives, then we will discover that many of us have gradually become blind, deaf, lame and dumb – not PHYSICALLY – but SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, SOCIALLY, and OTHERWISE. We have become deaf to the Word of God. Judging from our own situation in the world, I think one of the most immediate areas God is drawing our attention to is the GROWING INJUSTICE AGAINST THE POOR OR THE OPPRESSION OF THE LESS PRIVILEGED. A clear example is found in what St James was pointing out in the second reading (James 2:1-5). In this portion of his letter, he was clearly rebuking a particular set of Christians (in his time) who were COMPLETELY DEAF TO THE PLIGHT OF THE POOR: a people who maltreated and looked down on the poor and the dejected, thereby creating very scandalous distinctions in the Body of Christ (in the Church).
REMEMBER: the REFUSAL of the people of Israel to LISTEN to God’s words landed them in exile. Many of us are already in different forms of exile, and will degenerate into more terrible “exilic” situations if we do not cry for help, surrender ourselves to Jesus for healing just as the deaf and dumb man was brought to him in the gospel reading of today’s celebration. We too have refused to LISTEN to God’s Word: the WORD that tells us not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to be hateful towards our neighbour, not to oppress or ignore the poor, and so on. On a more relevant note, many of us have shut our eyes and can no longer see the plight of the poor; we have shut our ears that we can’t hear God telling us to help; we have shut our ears that we can no longer hear the cries of the poor; we have shut our mouths that we can no longer speak up for justice at the oppression of the poor; we have become lame that we can’t run to the help of the poor. Which other kind of blindness or deafness is more serious than this COMPLETE INDIFFERENCE TO THE PLIGHT OF THE POOR? And that is why we must go to Jesus for healing and liberation. WHEN OUR CHRISTIANITY HAS NOT TRANSPORTED US TO THE REALM OF BEING CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO NEED OUR HELP, THEN WE ARE JUST LIKE CHILDREN IN THE MARKETPLACE. IF I HAVE NOT COME TO THE LEVEL OF SPEAKING FOR JUSTICE, SPEAKING FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, THEN WHY AM I A FOLLOWER OF THE MESSIAH? IF I HAVE NOT GOT THE COURAGE TO EMPATHETICALLY HEAR AND SEE THE PLIGHT OF THE POOR AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, THEN I AM NOTHING BUT A NOISEMAKER.
We must join the Psalmist in saying: COME, LORD, AND SAVE US!