TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – SEPTEMBER 8, 2024
There are many times in the gospels when people are brought to Jesus by others for healing. One example is the paralytic man who was dropped down to Jesus on a mat through a roof. He couldn’t go to Jesus himself, so he needed his friends to get him there. Another example is the centurion who asked Jesus to cure his servant who was too sick to get out of bed. Since the servant was unable to go to Jesus, the centurion approached Jesus on his behalf. In both of these instances, Jesus performed miracles of healing based not just on the faith of the person who needed the healing but on the faith of the people who brought them to Jesus.
That is what is happening in today’s gospel. The man whom Jesus heals is unable to speak and to hear. He might not have heard the stories about the great acts of healing Jesus was performing throughout the countryside. Even if someone had been able to communicate to him all that Jesus had done, without the power of speech, he wouldn’t have been able to ask Jesus for the healing he so desperately needed. To be healed, this man needed others with faith enough to recognize that only Jesus could heal him. To be healed, this man needed people who cared enough about him to lead him to Jesus and to ask him for a powerful act of healing on this man’s behalf. It was based on their faith, initially, that Jesus healed this man.
Most of us here today have had just such a thing happen in our own lives. Someone brought us to Jesus when we could not go to Him on our own. Someone spoke up for us when we could not speak up for ourselves. It would have happened for most of us on the day of our baptism. If we were baptized as infants, our parents brought us to church, and, on our behalf, asked that we be cleansed from original sin and endowed with the gift of faith. It was because of their belief in the power of baptism that they supplied for us what we could not ask for on our own – to become daughters and sons of God through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus accomplished it for us through the waters of baptism based on the faith of our parents, just as He healed the deaf and dumb man based on the faith of his friends.
Even after our baptism, our parents continued to bring us to Jesus. How many times as children did we complain to our parents that we didn’t want to go to Mass but they let us know in no uncertain terms that Sunday Mass was non-negotiable? Imagine how many communions we would have missed if our parents didn’t bring us to Jesus every Sunday, whether we wanted to go or not? They also made sure we received our First Communion and Confirmation when we didn’t have enough brains and faith to realize how important those sacraments were.
Many of us probably strayed later on in life. Once there was no one there to make us go to Mass, we may have stopped practicing our faith and made bad choices as a result. Still our parents continued to bring us to Jesus in their prayers, when we chose not to pray on our own. They spoke to God about our need for enlightenment and healing when we were not smart enough to ask for it ourselves. Not only were our parents praying for us but also our grandparents, teachers, and other loved ones. It was no doubt because of their intense prayers that we finally smartened up and turned back to Jesus.
There may be some parents and grandparents here today who are hurting because your children have stopped practicing the faith you raised them in. Don’t give up! Keep on bringing them to Jesus in your prayers. The prayers of parents and grandparents are powerful indeed. Jesus hears you. Just as He healed the deaf and dumb man because of the faith of his friends, He will heal and enlighten your children and grandchildren because of your faith. It is to you that God is speaking in today’s first reading – “Be strong, fear not!” (Is 35:4).
Besides our children, there are so many other people in today’s world whom Jesus is waiting for us to bring to Him. There are many people who are spiritually deaf. They are unable to hear the good news of Jesus Christ because they are too busy listening to the call of the world. They are too preoccupied with what is all around them to hear the call of their own heart telling them that there must be more. There are also many who are spiritually deaf because of prejudice or ignorance. They wrongly believe that science has somehow disproved religion or that faith is for weak people. All these people cannot hear the words of Jesus calling them to entrust themselves to His love. We have to speak to them about our own experience of faith and how it has changed us. If that does not open their ears, then we have to continually bring them to Jesus in our prayers. It is quite possible that God put those spiritually deaf people in our lives precisely so that we could pray for them.
When we experience the love of Jesus in a total and transformative way, we can’t help but want to share it with others. Like the people in today’s gospel, we want to proclaim it to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately, there are many people today who will not listen or who are unable to hear. They do not have it within them to ask Jesus for the healing love they so desperately need. Like the people in the gospel, we have to bring them to Jesus through our prayers. It is a great act of love to pray that others know Jesus for themselves. And only Jesus is capable of opening their ears to hear the good news that they have been saved and to free their tongues to join us in praise of the God of mercy and goodness.
This Sunday we celebrate Grandparents’ Day.
On this special day for grandparents and the elderly, I want to share some thoughts with you. First, let me share a humorous quote by Gene Perret:
“My grandkids believe I’m the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too.”
Pope Francis, in his message on Grandparents’ Day, reminded grandparents and the elderly that the Lord “is with us always.” As we grow older and reflect on our lives, we can see His hand at work and the blessings He has shared with us along the way.
Furthermore, Pope Francis reminded grandparents and the elderly of their responsibility to teach the faith and hand down traditions to their grandchildren. He said, “It makes no difference how old you are, whether you still work or not, whether you are alone or have a family, whether you became a grandmother or grandfather at a young age or later, whether you are still independent or need assistance. There is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren.”
On this special day, as we honor grandparents and the elderly, we are reminded of two important responsibilities:
We should never ignore or forget those who have grown old in our midst. They want, need, and deserve our love and respect.
Those who have enjoyed the blessing of long life must share their faith, trust, wisdom, and experiences with those who come after them—our daughters, sons, and grandchildren, to take their place in this world.
Let us give thanks for grandparents and the elderly, for their thoughts, prayers and words of wisdom.
May this day be yet another blessing for them and an opportunity for all of us to show our love and gratitude—both to those who are with us and to those who have gone before us to be with the Lord.