...They were exceedingly astonished, and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak "... (Mk 7:31-37)
God is good, all the time.
Friends, here we are in the world of the gospel with Jesus and a deaf and mute man, whom Jesus heals by the touch of his hand. What an incredible experience for this man!
However, this profound gospel event must be linked to the creation narrative in the first reading to appreciate its meaning and relevance to us. The first reading tells how the man and the woman wanted to "see," which was why they didn't heed God's orders. "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil," the serpent lied to the woman.
Thus, the paradox of their action being that instead of becoming like gods when their eyes opened, they lost the opportunity to see God. God was with them from the beginning, but they failed to see him. And because they couldn't see him any longer, the sound of his voice terrified them as they hid to avoid hearing it.
The healing of the deaf and mute man underscores the significance of the first reading. Unlike Adam and Eve, the man saw Jesus as he stood before him. So, Jesus healed his hearing and speech impediments, allowing him to witness about him, "He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it."
Any incredible witnessing starts with seeing the reality. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1 Jn 1:1). What we see and hear, we can speak about it better.
The point here is this, Christians witness well to their faith when they can see Jesus. The question is, does, the extraordinary experience you have with Jesus in the Eucharist, in his body, soul, and divinity influence how you see him in everyday circumstances, in the Church, and those around them? To think about it is so arresting and empowering that we should not fail to cherish the Eucharist and encounter Jesus in it and be poised for witnessing through our words and actions.
May God give us the grace of seeing well, hearing well, and witnessing well with our faith. Amen.