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Ephphatha! Be Opened in the New Year!Mark 7; 34
Christmas and Epiphany celebrations are over. It’s time to embrace the lessons we’ve been given, and put them into practical action! Which is readily proclaimed in the Gospel of Mark. It is good news filled with action, Christ’s action as well as ours!
There is something very attractive and exhausting about St. Mark’s Gospel is his portrayal of Jesus. He shows us the God-Man as a person of few words but with plenty of action. If you ever try to read this Gospel from the first to the last page in one sitting, I think you may be as out of breath as I was!
However, when Christ does speak, his words have all the divine power as His miracles! Consider the words, “Ephphatha!” “Be Opened!” which is what Jesus said. No long speech, no theological teaching, no need to proclaim in public in the face of this tough crowd. Jesus pulls the deaf and the mute man safely aside, shields him from prying eyes, removes him from derision and rejection which he had borne most of his life. With compassion and care, Christ touches his ears and tongue and the prophesy of Isaiah 35; 4-5 is fulfilled! “…Do not fear, your God will come…the ears of the deaf will be opened… and the mute’s tongue will shout for joy…” which fulfills God’s promise of what will happen when Messiah comes and lives among us! Have you ever wondered what were the first words this man heard from Jesus, and what were the first words he spoke in return? It is no small thing to accept the freedom and responsibility of being healed by Jesus! And still he dwells within and among us!
What sort of person did Jesus heal? Most likely, the very kind of person Jesus always seeks out to relieve from their suffering: those left out of society…the foreigners, the poor, the weak, the sinners, the desperate, the avoided ones, the ignored, those ‘skipped over’, the ones who have no one to care for them: God’s “Anawim”! Christ’s desire is to free and empower us as his disciples, that we may do the same. It may be a good time then, to ask ourselves, “What healing do I need most from the Savior and ask for it. And, once open to Christ’s healing within myself, what practical way, will I become Christ’s healing presence to someone in need? It may be as simple as listening, giving undivided attention, and praying for and with someone who is desperate to share their story. Christ is waiting for us to be and continue to do the work of his Father and our Father. Are we up for it?
The New Year is underway… Mark’s passage is a call to action. Who needs to experience God through me? How? God waits for us to be Christ in the world. Have faith in the words Christ in Mark 7; 34: “Be Open!”. It will remove any obstacle that hinders healing! Use less words, more action, have fewer excuses, a greater sensitivity for those in need. Respond to anyone who comes our way, as Christ would! Then, throughout this year, the healing power of Jesus will be better known and felt in our weary world. Let’s use less words and more action for God’s glory!S. Mary Louise Swift, CSFN
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"ADVENT AMBIANCE”
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth Retreat Center
We create “Advent Ambiance” for others in simple ways:Smiles, Caring, Inclusion, Gestures of Reverence, Polite Affirmation,
all of these silently, subtly pointing out the way to Bethlehem.
Each effort of creating Ambiance is singular, and conscious,
A personal mystery of the Christ within, to the Christ without.
We sojourn through grace, waiting, searching for how to fashion
goodness in the midst of burdens and baggage,
others’ and our own.
There’s an empty crib resting before us, hidden both near yet far,
often in disguise, yet anxiously awaiting our arrival.
There’s a Savior within us, and about us, hoping for incarnation,
when Christ ‘became us’ to show us how to ‘become him’.
He sings out a melody of love in a land of fragile hearts;
A comforting song for servants, torn, worn from Advent caring.
A desolate Winter of disbelief is cleansed and transformed
in the manger of kind compassion, and care-filled embraces.
Even as the Christ Child waits, he is on the way…
Join us, beneath the light of each others’ stars, whether bright or dim,
even a little glow lessens the struggle in December’s dark days.
The lights of “Home” illumine all hearts when angels of gladness
have shepherd them gently in, to be warmed by the glow of
God-With-Us.
Angels have led us to the manger all through our trek to the stable,
showed us how to become newborns ourselves, awakened, responsive
radiating hope, faith, from, for others; with their “Advent Ambiance”.
The Christ Child has come
on the straw manger bed of our lives
His style of “Advent Ambiance” meant to be taken in,
tended to
and
given away
on the path to Bethlehem.S. Mary Louise Swift, CSFN
Advent, 2021
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CANON OF HOSPITALITY
As we step into the harvest time, we realize we live here with substance, many of us, with abundance. What is the Canon of Scriptural Hospitality we choose to live by?“Being hospitable is more than… opening our door- it is to open ourselves, our hearts, to the needs of others. Hospitality is not just shelter, but the quality of welcome behind it.”
Dorothy Day
PRAYER REFRAIN: COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
Gathering around the table of friendship, we give thanks for the Holy One who dwells in another. With open minds and loving hearts, we have received warmth and kindness.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
We offer our sorrow and ask forgiveness for the times we have refused to welcome others; we continue to make efforts to accept those with whom we differ.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
We welcome those who claim to be our enemies; those who thwart our attempts to care. We welcome those whose demeanor frightens, those who live differently, those with whom we live that we would rather not welcome.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
We are grateful for the generous hospitality of biblical persons. They inspire and encourage our own welcoming. We thank Abraham and Sarah who welcomed strangers; we are grateful for Pharaoh’s daughter who brought Moses to her home; to Elizabeth who greeted Mary of Nazareth with prophetic joy. We give thanks to Martha, Mary and Lazarus, for making their home a place of rest and friendship for Jesus and Lydia who believed Paul’s message and cared for him and his companions in her own house.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
We pray to grow stronger and live more fully the vital qualities of hospitality: Kindness, Non-Judgement, Understanding, Generosity, Acceptance and Cheerful Service. When our time and energy are needed in welcoming, may we do so without regret or in grumbling.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
We remember the two on the road to Emmaus who were welcomed on their journey by the Risen Christ. As they walked he drew them close with compassion and lifted their spirits with kindness, restored their faith and hope. They welcomed him at table and he, in turn, broke the bread and healed their disappointed hearts with Eternal Love.
COME IN! COME IN! I WELCOME YOU! GOD IS HERE!
Reflection by S. Joyce Rupp from Prayer Seeds, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN., 2017
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AN AUTUMN PRAYER
Leader: May we breathe in the beauty of Autumn, with its power to transform…
All: May the God of Autumn give us beauty!
Leader: May we seek and find places of repose that refresh and restore the tired places within us…
All: May the God of Autumn give us moments of rest!
Leader: May the wonders of changing Autumn colors entice us into contemplation and joy…
All: May the God of Autumn fill us with inner light!
Leader: May the God of Autumn bring us peace and satisfaction in the work of our hands…
All: May we savor the fruit of God’s handiwork, the gifts of Autumn’s harvest!
Leader: May the God of Autumn shelter us from outer and inner storms that threaten peace of mind & heart…
All: May the God of Autumn’s loving providence help us rest secure!
Leader: May the God of Autumn supply us with faith and courage to “let go”, give generously of our bounty…
All: May we give freely of the gifts God has given, confident that the God of every season continually replenishes all of creation!
FOR REFLECTION AND SHARING: One line that speaks to me of God in Autumn is…
Closing Prayer (All): Gracious God, open our eyes to see your hand in the splendor of creation around and within us. Touched by your hand, our world is holy! Help us to share your blessings, and experience the joy that comes from living in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.