Gospel for September 5 2021 – Mark 7:31-37
Gospel Reflections for September 5 2021
What happens when you meet Jesus?
There are many major crises happening now in war zones around the world and in politics in our own country. Where is Our Lord in all these events? Today’s Gospel reveals His answer.
Jesus walks into a town and faces a large crowd of curiosity seekers and those just looking for entertaining miracles. He is already quite famous for doing amazing things and the crowd wants more. Who wouldn’t?
They bring a deaf-mute man to Him and are eager to see what He will do. This is a perfect time for Jesus to perform a big major public miracle that will amaze thousands. Yet Jesus does something unexpected.
He takes the man away from the crowd and deals with him privately. Why would He do that?
Jesus sees what no one else sees. He recognizes the man cannot hear …and so has no idea why he has even been brought there! Moreover, the deaf-mute man knows his disability was often considered divine punishment and so he probably had spent most of his life hiding it. Now, his disability is publicly known to everyone …and he is profoundly humiliated.
The only sense that he has left is eyesight, and all he sees is an excited crowd and a stranger in front of him. He is terrified, perhaps thinking he will even be killed.
Jesus instantly recognizes his fear …and so takes him away from the crowd. In a private and majestic gesture of amazing compassion for his unique needs, Jesus heals him with large physical actions that the man could see with the only sense he had left, his eyesight. He cures him in a uniquely personal way.
Jesus cured many people at that time, and the Gospels record each miracle in a different way for each person. Why is that? Jesus adapts His powers to the unique and personal needs of each person because He loves each person personally.
In every miracle someone in need meets Jesus …and leaves a profoundly different person. You cannot meet Jesus and stay the same. You leave better and happier.
Our Lord’s plan for the salvation of our difficult world is to change it one person at a time. Right now, that person is you. Let this Sunday Mass be your time to start anew as an example of love.
Jesus knows you very well, and offers you His grace right now, just at the time you need it.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Dear Father Dave,
Thank you for your gospel summary and reminder of the beauty of Jesus and His beautiful miracles.
I think, in some respect, we’re witnessing a world without “sense” not even vision.
Let us all pray for change, peace, and enlightenment.
God bless.
Kathleen
Yes, exactly what we should pray for at this time.
Thank you for your insights of who Jesus is, Fr. Dave!
It is heartening to know that each of us is personal to Jesus, and that
knowing Him is an assurance of seeing Him in a different light.
Our Lord is amazingly personal to you, and promises to walk with you in your daily path every day.
The Empathy shown by Jesus is legendary in how He handles curing the Man terrified by the crowd all there for a show. The Son of God is very special in his sharing his powers of curing people. This gives me confidence that regardless of what we go through here on Earth We have a Lord to take refuge in , no matter what.
Well said. You understand this Gospel passage very well.