Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 128

They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The news is often troubling and sometimes we don't want to hear it. Indeed, there are days when troubles from far and wide press in on us and threaten to invade our daily routines; they would displace our attendance of familiar duties with more complex, difficult, and uncertain responsibilities. 

I think of recent social movements like "Me Too" and "Black Lives Matter, and their demands upon our moral consciousness. And then there are unavoidable discussions around Covid/vaccine, wildfires, hurricanes, and climate change. In the past month, "America's longest war" suddenly ended leaving the world's most powerful nation with the sour taste of defeat. What do we say to the widows and orphans of that war, and to war-wounded Veterans? What will they say to us? 

Somewhere in the back of my mind I hear that old song, "Make the world go away, and get it off of my shoulder." And the psalmist' lament, "Oh that I had wings like a dove and could fly away and be at rest."

Most news outlets, realizing that too much gloom and doom might torpedo their ratings, garnish the sad, overwhelming, and miserable stories with some feel good items about cheerful old people or enterprising kids. They like to capitalize on the abilities of disabled persons and toss in some remarkable scientific achievements or astronomical developments. 

Practicing Catholics have a more effective response to today's headlines. We celebrate the Good News by attending Sunday Mass; singing with the congregation; listening to the readings and homily; stating once again before God and our loved ones, "I believe in God the Father Almighty...;" absorbing in contemplative silence the Eucharistic prayer; and receiving the Blessed Sacrament. With these practices we not only receive the Good News, we are the Good News. We might not know what should be done but God does and the Spirit of God moves us to hope, intentionality, and action. 

In today's gospel Jesus met a man who could neither hear nor speak, and he healed him immediately because,  

...faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:18)

and John's Gospel:

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

Despite the promises of merchants who want our money, and the promises of politicians who want our votes, and the credulity of fantasists who think we can educate our way out of every problem, our Salvation must come from God as we hear the Word of God. 

The word of God teaches us how to respond to Me Too, Black Lives Matter, pandemics, and climate change. Hearing the Gospel prepares us to hear the truth when women, African-Americans, public health officials, and climatologists speak to us. 

We might not like what we hear. Hearing, learning, and responding require both change and sacrifice. But if we have heard the Gospel of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, we are prepared for both.