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| Image of a fallen log, tunneled by insects. |
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
M aya Angelou told the story of her long silence in her autobiographical, I know why the Caged Bird Sings. After the child was sexually assaulted, her brothers avenged the violence and killed her assailant. Realizing her speaking had led to a killing, she stopped talking and remained silent for many years.
Muteness can be caused by many things, and comes in many forms. Deaf people might never learn how to utter the sounds that create words and make language. Others hear well enough but their tongues are immobile.
Sometimes we're afraid to speak; and sometimes we don't know the words. Or there are no words. Sometimes entire societies dare not create the words to speak of what they know. And when their children attempt to break the silence with words that seem to make no sense, they're told to hush up. No one will believe them and they don't know what they're talking about.
In today's gospel Jesus frees a man's tongue and he speaks clearly. He represents the baptized Christian who knows the Lord and prophesies in the Lord's spirit. The Church remembers this and similar incidents in the Gospels with our rite of baptism for children. During the optional rite of Ephphetha, the celebrant touches the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb, saying:
The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.
May he soon touch your ears to receive his word,
and your mouth to proclaim his faith,
to the praise and glory of God the Father.
All: Amen.
We remember Zechariah's silence after his encounter with Angel Gabriel in the temple. Although it's unclear why he was silent, the sudden freeing of his tongue when he wrote on a tablet, "His name is John," caused quite a stir; and "fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea." (Luke 1:65)
Because there is "a time to be silent, and a time to speak," (Ecclesiastes 3:7) sometimes the Holy Spirit commands us to say nothing; and at other times we're told to speak. This is the freedom God gives to his beloved; that they can do either, as the Lord directs.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.