Spending time in the company of people who are deaf and mute makes us realise how precious the gifts of speech and hearing are. Unlike us, they are cut off completely from the world of sound and have no experience of the conversation of friends, the laughter of children and the joy of listening to music. While our sympathy and pity are with the man in today’s story, nevertheless, we regard him as one of the lucky ones, to have met Jesus who cured him, gave him a break in life and made him like the rest of us. We take for granted our ability to hear and speak, but both gifts are meant for a purpose even greater than human communication. They are also our means of listening to God and speaking his word, this is something we should never forget. What we hear and what we say determine to a great extent what we do and they make us the people we are.
This is an occasion to express our concern and care for those who live lonely lives on the margins of society because of hearing impairment and speech loss. However, it is good to remember that the deaf mute is not just an historical figure from first century Israel. He resembles the whole human race. His plight is ours in so far as we refuse to listen to what God is saying to us and act upon it. We all need the healing hand of Christ to make us hear and speak the message of God properly. Jesus is the one who can remove deafness and muteness from our being so that we can make full use of these faculties. Is it possible that we are like this man because of our refusal to give a listening ear to the lonely, the troubled, and the worried? How many times have we failed to utter a word of encouragement, of hope and thanks, or have kept a discreet silence when we should have spoken the truth? Then there are the problems we have in speaking to our partner or neighbours, because of a long standing row or simply out of jealousy, envy or pride.
What Jesus is saying to us is that the greatest tragedy of all is not to be born deaf and mute, but to have ears and fail to hear and to have tongues and fail to speak. We are the deaf and mute who need to be brought to Jesus for his healing touch, which brings communication where there are silences, companionship where there is loneliness, and encouragement where there is despair.
Social Justice Week was established by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference in 1997 as an ongoing commitment in the Catholic calendar for the week beginning the second Sunday of September.
This year the Social Justice Week theme is: Enabling Communities: Everyone has a part to play.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini – My achievements and strengths are not those of the individual, but those of the many
Disability has different connotations for different people. Some see it is a negative term to be avoided. Others see it as a source of identity and even a badge of honour.
And there are those who see it signifying barriers to people’s full participation in community. Encountering disability can force us to re-evaluate our understanding of God, humanity and the attitudes we hold. Our Bishops recently reflected together on disability and participation in the life of the church and society. They remembered the many disabled people they know and love and who have helped inspire us in our journey of faith and life.
Joy and a sense of inner satisfaction in service are indicators of the Holy Spirit at work in us as we follow the path God intends for us. When we see this in others, we recognise the precious gift each person is called to be.
We enable this in our parishes and schools when we welcome and enable each person to contribute to the life of the community. Each of us, with our unique gifts and challenges, are interdependent. By becoming involved in each other’s lives by our presence and service, we grow together as the Body of Christ. In this regard our Bishops encourage each of us to reflect on how we welcome each person, without exception, into the heart of our communities as a precious gift.
For more information go to www.caritas.org.nz
Fr Peter Tipene
