Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 128

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:

Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

with divine recompense

he comes to save you.

Then 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 mute will sing.

Streams will burst forth in the desert,

and rivers in the steppe.

The burning sands will become pools,

and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Jesus' healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment signals the fulfillment of the first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah. The gesture, as simple as it is, fairly shouts to those who know Isaiah, "Here is your God!"

But it means more than "Bow down and worship him!" As appropriate as that might be, it misses the point which follows:  "...he comes with vindication, with divine recompense he comes to save you."

Pope Francis, when he first stepped out on the balcony in Saint Peter's Square, bowed down and asked the world to pray for him. He presented himself as a servant of the church, not its master.

Since then he has met resistance from cardinals and bishops even as he declared his intention to dismantle "clericalism." Clericalism says, "Bow down and worship me." It says, "Obey me and I will save you. Disobey me and risk eternal damnation." It promises vindication, but with a price. It promises compensation that costs even more.

Pope Francis has named clericalism as the root cause of priest abuse of children and episcopal exploitation of young men.

"For freedom Christ set you free!" Saint Paul wrote to the Galatians. Isaiah made a similar promise: the eyes of blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared, the lame will leap like a stag and the tongue of the mute will sing.

Clericalism promises freedom and many people rejoice in the promise, even when they experience no freedom. But those who are actually set free do not fear the pastor's rebuke or the cleric's neglect. They do not wait on "Father's" approval for they are moved by the Spirit to speak, and act and think for themselves, even as they participate fully within the life and mission of the Church.

Pope Francis, like the Prophet Isaiah, sees an immediate connection between the plight of the poor and exploitation of the environment: We are watching the dependable kindness of our planet disintegrate as our god -- The Economy -- ignores the widow's plea and the orphan's cry, and wastes our precious resources.

When the Lord appears, Isaiah, says, "Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water. Today's Gospel announces joy for Our God is here. Our Priest has come not to demand obeisance but to "obey" our desperate need for mercy. Pope Francis' vision is challenging and prophetic, at a time when many would prefer reassurance.