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OMELIE / Omelie EN

05 set 2021
05/09/2021 – 23rd Sunday in O. T. - B

05/09/2021 – 23rd Sunday in O. T. - B

Reading 1 IS 35,4-7 Psalm 145/146 Reading 2 JAS 2,1-5 Gospel MK 7,31-37

Seems odd the fact that Jesus recommends to the deaf mute and to all the people who have witnessed his healing not to talk to anybody about it, not to tell anybody that it was Him to open his ears and loosen the knot of his tongue. Why does not Jesus want His miracle told? Certainly, He has deep motivations which we cannot completely understand. Telling about miracles is not yet a sign of faith, is not yet witnessing His divinity. The greater gift for the deaf mute was not being able to talk and hear, but meeting Jesus, being able to hear His word and repeat it. In order to understand this grace is necessary to live in silence, meditate in your heart, as Mary was doing, the meeting with the Lord. If the one who had been healed would have started telling everybody about the miracle, He would not have either time or ability to deepen His conversion.

The prophet Isaiah had announced that, in front of the one who had to come, the Messiah, “will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing”. The one who had been healed and those who had seen it happening will have to reach the understanding that Jesus is really the Messiah announced by the prophet: for accomplishing this, is necessary silence, is necessary meditating in the heart the experience of healing received in order to compare it with the word of the prophets, in order to recognise the authority and the beauty of He who brings us salvation and peace.

Furthermore, whoever listens about miracles can become enthusiastic easily, and so he does not prepare himself to welcome the love which is on the cross. Many people spend time and energies to reach, even far away, the places in which miracles have happened and still happen. Well, these people are looking for a God who can give them what they want, who does not want effort or suffering: often they are not able to carry the cross with generosity, without complaining. Even more often these people are not easily available to take on long lasting tasks in their parish. They who see miracles have first to recognise that Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore they need to listen to Him, look for His word and obey Him, even when it costs them, even when He would ask them for some big change in their life. Following this, our very life will be a truthful announcement and a praise for Him.

We might be able to talk about many miracles performed by the Lord, but the greatest miracle must be our transformed life. We too, rich in faith and detached from earthly things, will be a living miracle.

Saint James, in His letter, is showing us this path. In fact, God has chosen the poor in order to show us His mercy and His omnipotence, He has chosen poor people like the deaf mute an many others incapable of earn their living because of their illnesses: through them He has revealed Himself to us and He has let us enjoy His presence. We will imitate Him: we will pay attention and care more to the poor than to the rich, we will not show preference, as the world does because it likes riches and it is ruled by the rich, often incapable of loving and caring only for gaining more. We will imitate our God and Father, and we will enjoy being poor ourselves and needy: in us too God will be able to show Himself in all His greatness and goodness, beauty and tenderness.

Do not worry then about telling people what Jesus has done in your life and not even in someone else’s: you yourself will become poor and humble, so He will be able to show Himself through your poverty and humility, meekness and simplicity!

Here I am, Lord Jesus, let me be poor and fragile, make me dumb and useless for the world, and then act yourself inside me and through me. I am yours, save me!