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Dear brothers and sisters,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we have an account of one of the healing miracles of Jesus. The prayer that the Lord prays in this Gospel text is sometimes used in the rite of baptism: "The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May He touch your ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith".

This prayer bears our reflection, just as Jesus’ miracles changed the life of the man He cured, so our relationship with Him is life changing. Our ears must indeed be open to listen to His word, and we must also seize every opportunity that is placed before us to share the gift of faith that we have been given.

Both these actions require our attentiveness, for the opportunities to listen and to share—while many and frequent—may present themselves in quite subtle and quiet ways.

In this Sunday’s Second Reading, James grapples with this issue, reminding his heroes that such opportunities may come in ways we might find uncomfortable, but the failure to be consistent in our Christian lives will result in double standards, and a weakening of our proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus speaks specifically of the poor; and the Lord Himself - when He reads from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth - speaks also about the captive, the oppressed, the broken hearted. In a society where the value of life at every stage is not respected as it deserves, we must speak out and defend all who are vulnerable; such action is an intrinsic part of the proclamation of the faith we have received. From a place of prayer, may we listen and speak, may we see and act.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

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