First reading 1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19
Solomon is unfaithful; the Lord moderates his wrath
One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’
And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.
Responsorial Psalm 80(81):10-15
I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
Let there be no foreign god among you,
no worship of an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you from the land of Egypt.
But my people did not heed my voice
and Israel would not obey,
so I left them in their stubbornness of heart
to follow their own designs.
O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
At once I would subdue their foes,
turn my hand against their enemies.
Gospel Mark 7:31-37
‘He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak’
Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
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Be opened
Our greatest challenge is that we are simply too busy to hear Jesus. We find ourselves constantly occupied, as we juggle work, meet deadlines, care for children or elderly parents, and more. Amid all this hustle and bustle, we often lose sight of God and the immense love He has for us.
While we may not be physically deaf, many of us experience a kind of spiritual deafness. God reaches out to us, but we struggle to hear Him amid the noise that surrounds us and the chaos within. We are absorbed in our own world of worries, anxieties, and fatigue, making it hard to recognise His presence. Today, Jesus invites us with the words, “Ephphatha. Be opened!” Being open to Jesus is crucial if we genuinely want to deepen our prayer life. This openness makes us more aware of His presence, whether in the quiet of our prayers, the routines of daily life, or the faces of those we meet. Let us be open to Jesus and allow Him to renew our awareness of His presence.
Reflective question:
How can I become more aware of God’s presence today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
