The Archangels 

St. Mary’s of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 29, 2015

The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation.

Saint Michael is the leader of all the angels. His name is Hebrew for "Who is like God?" and was the battle cry of the good angels against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, in Daniel 10 and 12, in the letter of Jude, and in Revelation.

Michael, whose forces cast down Lucifer and the evil spirits into Hell, is invoked for protection against Satan and all evil. Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century, instituted a prayer asking for Saint Michael's protection to be said at the end of every Mass.

Christian tradition recognizes four offices of Saint Michael: (i) to fight against Satan (ii) to rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death. (iii) to be the champion of God's people, (iv) to call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment.

Saint Gabriel, whose name means "God's strength," is mentioned four times in the Bible. In Luke 1: 9 he introduced himself as "I am Gabriel, who stand before God." He announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias, and the at Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary.

"I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tob 12:15)

Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed" because of his healing of Tobias' blindness in the Book of Tobit.  Tobit is the only book in which he is mentioned. His office is generally accepted by tradition to be that of healing and acts of mercy.

Raphael is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pond and bestowed healing powers upon it so that the first to enter it after it moved would be healed of whatever infirmity he was suffering.

Copied from: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=609

A PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS

Heavenly King, You have given us archangels 

to assist us during our pilgrimage on earth. 

Saint Michael is our protector; 

I ask him to come to my aid, 

fight for all my loved ones, 

and protect us from danger. 

Saint Gabriel is a messenger of the Good News; 

I ask him to help me 

clearly hear Your voice 

and to teach me the truth. 

Saint Raphael is the healing angel; 

I ask him to take my need for healing 

and that of everyone I know, 

lift it up to Your throne of grace 

and deliver back to us the gift of recovery. 

Help us, O Lord, 

to realize more fully the reality of the archangels 

and their desire to serve us. 

Holy angels, 

pray for us. 

Amen.

Cut Off the Obstacles!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 27, 2015

Most active Christians have certain passages of the Bible that they regard as favorites. It’s not as if other parts of the Bible do not appeal to them, but they consider those passages favorites because they inspire, motivate and touch them specially and profoundly. They particularly address their situation in a more significant manner. Many Christians consider John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” as one of their favorite verses and quote in the Bible. But if we have the time to ask each person to recite his or her favorite verses in the Bible, it is likely none of us will mention the following text we read from today’s Gospel as a favorite verse: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48). 

What exactly is the Lord saying to us in those words? Certainly, he is not talking about physical amputation of hands, legs and eyes. Jesus spoke metaphorically. That time in Palestine, it was common to speak in such an exaggerated manner just to make a point. In literature, it is called hyperbole. Everyone in this church can agree that Jesus was not asking us to literary get rid of certain parts of our body just to avoid sin and Gehenna and to merit everlasting life in heaven. Coming to this agreement leaves us with the questions: “What is Jesus saying in that passage and what does he expect from us?”

Human life is a life of battle. Within each of us there’s a battle going on. It is a battle for the life of each of us. It is a battle between good and evil. It is a battle between sin and grace. At the end of this battle, we will either hear Jesus say, “You are mine!” or hear Satan say, “You are mine!” The Mass is always a thanksgiving celebration to the Father for giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. He’s the Best and the Greatest Gift of all. Through his death and resurrection, the battle has been won for us. When Jesus said on the cross, “It’s finished,” he meant the dominion of Satan over us is finished. He meant the battle between good and evil is won. Good won. Evil lost. Jesus won. Satan lost. Because of Jesus, the overbearing influence of Satan is over. Because of Jesus, his control over our lives is over. Because of Jesus, we have a new life of grace. Because of him, salvation is won. Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s way of saying to each of us, “You are mine!” Now, it is up to each of us to grab the hands of Jesus and say to him, “Lord, I am yours,” and to accept his grace and live like people redeemed by him. If you are given a check of $1 million, the money can only be available for your spending after you have taken your time to go to the bank and deposit it into your account. Salvation is free but not cheap. It must cost us something—self-denial. 

Beloved, Jesus is asking us to avoid the things that lead to temptation and sin. He’s asking us to run away from anything, anyone, any event, any place that makes it easier for us to yield to sin. We call it occasion of sin. For some of us, consumption of alcohol is the occasion of sin. For others, it is the TV, internet, magazine etc. For some, it is the friends they keep and the places they go to. Whatever and whoever it is that will deny us heaven, Jesus says, cut if off. Disengage and discontinue that friendship or membership that is leading you away from God. Walk out now! It’s better to go to heaven friendless than with a host of friends end up in Gehenna. If an endless pursuit of wealth is going to exclude you from the Great Banquet of the Lamb of God, Jesus say, it’s time to stop. If membership of social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc is exposing you and making you prone to do certain things you ordinarily wouldn’t do, the Lord says, end the membership now. It’s better to go to heaven with few people knowing you, than with multitude of followers end up in hell. 

Today, there are two realities that are rarely talked about. A good number of preachers, including Catholic priests hardly preach about them. They are sin and hell. I would be failing in my duty if I do not talk about them. It would be a gross negligent of duty if I finish this preaching without talking about sin and hell. Sin is rarely mentioned today because it is an ugly topic; but it is too important to ignore. Jesus never ignored it. Sin is any act that violates the commandments of God. 1 John 3:4 tells us that, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” Sin is disobedience to the good God. In these modern times, we have rightly emphasized the loving mercy of God because more people can be attracted to a spoon of honey than a huge container of vinegar. God’s mercy is more appealing than his wrath. But in the process of emphasizing his mercy, we have overlooked and underestimated the destructive and deadly reality of sin. We have also deemphasized the reality of hell. Some of us believe that everyone will go to heaven. We convince ourselves that it is not real. Some argue that a loving Father cannot let his own child suffer in eternal hell. But they forget that a loving and obedient son or daughter would not walk away from his or her Father. Some even believe that the teaching about hell was injected by the Church to make everyone comply. But look at it this way. Every human society has laws that must be obeyed. Anyone who wants to live free in America must be law-abiding. How come we now think that God does not have any? Is God lawless? In the first place, who is the origin of human beings’ ability to discover the need for laws? 

My dear friends, God is not lawless. God has laws. Just like in human society, any disobedience of his laws has consequences. Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To avoid the unpleasant wages of sin, avoid sin and everything that leads to it. We need to stop treating sin and hell with levity. We don’t have to wait till the last minute to give up the things that drag us away from God. The longer one lives a life of sin and selfishness, the farther and farther one travels from the light. While it is possible to convert on deathbeds, the chances of doing that become slim. Those who progressively plunge themselves into evil would become accustomed and addicted to it. They may no longer want to taste the good things of God. Even if Jesus should appear to them, they may not recognize him. Jesus was standing before Pilate, yet he couldn't recognize him as the Truth. The choices we constantly make can gradually turn us into persons full of light or persons full of darkness. If we become full of darkness, the road back to full light can be very long and sometimes impossible. 

The summary of today’s Gospel is this: Run away from sin and be horrified at the mere thought of it. No good comes from sin. It’s not a little thing and its effects and consequences are hard to erase. Even though the modern world and its godless media are telling us that “Sin is fun,” we need to listen to the Good Shepherd. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Living a virtuous life is not unpleasant, as some people believe. The pleasures of sin may appear enticing and may be offered to us as a source of happiness. It is a big lie! It’s a big deception! Although sin can excite one’s passions, but it is only a matter of time before one discovers how miserable and unhappy his or her life has become. The wages of sin does not have to take place in the afterlife. An unrepentant sinner begins to earn his or her salary from here. As virtue is its own reward, sin is its own punishment. Sin is never fun. Do you think for a second that drug addicts, sexual perverts, child molesters, criminals, rapists, serial killers, drug peddlers, kidnappers, etc enjoy their lives? Do you think they are living in a world of real peace and joy? Do you think that alcoholics are happy and having a great fun? Do you think that abortionists are happy? Sin’s only companions are sadness and destruction. 

Our Redeemer wants us to avoid every occasions of sin so as to avoid the temptation that makes us yields to it. Sin hurts. It hurts us. It hurts our Church. It hurts our family. It hurts our society. It hurts our community. It hurts our world. If we stay in it without seeking repentance and healing, it would hurt us eternally and deprive us the wonderful opportunity of hearing Jesus say to us, “You are mine!”

Service Makes the Church Relevant

Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

September 20, 2015

Our world has two rooms. In one room, there are people who can do things for themselves, and in the other, people who need others to do things for them. In one room, we have influential people, and in the other, people who are influenced. In one room, we have givers, and in the other, we have the receivers. In one room, we have those who serve, and in the other, we have the served. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shocked his Apostles who were arguing among themselves who was the greatest: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). On Monday night, I was reflecting on these words of Jesus. I was trying to understand it. Then all of a sudden, a voice within me asked: When we have any parish event, who usually are the last to leave? The servers. When people have a family reunion, who are usually the last to leave the event? The servers. When a small family sits around the dinning table for a meal, who are the last to retire? The servers. When we come to church for Mass, who are the last to leave? The servers. The servers are the ones who clean the room or hall when an event is over. After making sure that everyone has got his or her fill of the food and drinks, they are the ones that clear the tables, wash the dishes, remove tables, chairs, sweep, mop, empty trash bins, turn off the lights and lock the room or hall. They are the last to get to the parking lot and the last to drive home. Some of us may not value their services, but Jesus said they are the greatest. Whoever desires to be first, must be the first to show up for any event, especially church events, get things ready and must be the last to leave. 

Many of us have become consumerist Christians. We come to church to be served. We come to church to consume. Even when we give some money during offertory collection, it is for the purpose of serving us. During Mass, we expect the lectors to read audibly with clarity and distinction. We expect the choir to sing well and even to sing our favorite songs. We expect the priest to preach well and to talk about the issues we care about. We expect him to become obsessed with the issues we are obsessed with. We expect the ushers to do their job well. We expect the security to watch over our cars while we worship. We expect everything to go smoothly with no hitches. While we expect others to do all these, we are not ready to lift a finger to help. 

When there is a call at Mass for people to join the choir, we give excuses: “I can’t sing.” “Oh, you don’t wanna hear me sing; I have a terrible voice.” When Lectors try to recruit us, we make excuses: “I can’t read well.” “I have an accent.” “I can’t stand up there and read. I have a stage-fright problem.” When the ushers try to recruit us, we give another excuse: “I work so hard that whenever I come to Mass, all I want to do is to sit. I get so tired that I don’t have the strength to be moving around.” When the Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion invite us to join them, we make excuses again: “I am not worthy; I am so sinful to touch the Lord. I am sorry, I can’t do it.” When we are invited to join St. Stephen Ministry, Catholic Daughters or St. Vincent de Paul, again, we give excuses: “I don’t really have time. My job is too demanding.” There is every excuse for every group we are invited to join and for everything we are asked to do. In the end, we reduce ourselves as Catholics who only come to Mass simply to consume and to be served. We are not involved in the life and ministry of our church. From year to year, we only come to Mass and right after that, we leave. 

Sisters and brothers, it is not enough to come to church; we must be actively involved in the life and ministry of our church. We will never change our community, society and world by coming to church, but by being the church. If all you do is just come to Mass, be served and attended to, then you are making church all about you. If all we do is just come to Mass, consume, come again and consume more—coming and consuming, coming and consuming, we make ourselves irrelevant. If we are not giving enough of our time, talent and treasure in the service of God and the Church, then we are not being relevant. Service makes us relevant. And guess what? We don’t need to know how to read and write to serve. We don’t need a bachelor’s degree to serve. We don’t need a master’s degree to serve. We don’t need a PhD to serve. All that is required is a willing, humble and gracious heart. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that whoever wants to be the greatest must be the last and the servant of all. Service makes us relevant and great. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. put it more eloquently when he said, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” In the Gospel of Mark 10:45, Jesus says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And in John 13:13, he says, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so because that is what I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet.”

While throwing more light to the ministry of service to his Apostles, Jesus brought before them an unnamed child and said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Children belong to the room of those who need others to do things for them. They fall under the society of persons who are not influential. In our calculation, they are primarily receivers, not givers. The unnamed child in the Gospel stands for all God’s children who need others to do things for them. The child stands for the most vulnerable in our midst, the poorest of the poor, those who have nothing to give to us except their problems, and those who depend on us for their sustenance. The child stands for grandma and grandpa who due to old age and sickness rely on the rest of the family and society to cater for them. Jesus tells us that they need love and care. And whoever treats them well, treats the Father and Jesus well. The greatest among us is not the most intelligent, although it is good to be intelligent. The greatest among us is not the wealthiest. The greatest among us is not the person with the biggest wages. The greatest among us is not the finest and the prettiest. The greatest among us is not the person who wields more power and authority. The greatest among us are those individuals who serve others and who look out for the little guy. History always remembers those who served, who gave their lives for others, who used their all in the service of God and humanity. If you want to be great here on earth and in heaven, Jesus says, “Serve.” And when we serve, we receive something that money cannot buy. 

The Sorrows of the Blessed Mother, Mary

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Memorial of the Mother of Sorrows

St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 15, 2015

The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Mother Mary that caused her pains, anguish, tears and sorrows. Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the cross of Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate what I will like to call “Mary’s own cross.” A good mother suffers when her son is suffering. As Jesus was suffering, Mary, the best Mother of all, was suffering as well. In fact, her own suffering began even before Jesus was conceived and born. The prophesy of Angel Gabriel, surely, rattled her. What does a little girl of Sixteen years know about becoming pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit? Check this out! After the greeting of the angel: “Hail, Mary, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28), verse 28 of the same Gospel tells us that “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what sort of greeting this might be.” It was expected. She was a little village girl. The whole episode certainly brought some sleepless nights to her. Then her conception without the involvement of Joseph must have brought a lot of stress to her. Let’s not forget that as soon as Joseph discovered that she was pregnant, he planned to send her packing. Do not forget that Mary was a human being like us. She too struggled and suffered in her heart on how to explain her situation to her husband. If Joseph had told his kinsmen that she was pregnant, but not by him, she could have faced the death penalty by stoning. Adultery in those days carried a death sentence. Even though the Blessed Mother knew the origin of her pregnancy, but like every human person, she must have struggled within her on how to explain her situation. After all, the visit of the Angel Gabriel was a private one. But today, we celebrate the key seven sorrows of the Blessed Mother, and they are these:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35) or the Circumcision of Christ

2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)

3. The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43–45)

4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.

5. Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)

6. The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary’s receiving his body of in her arms (Matthew 27:57–59).

7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40–42)

But we cannot adequately celebrate the Sorrows of the Blessed Mother Mary without calling to mind the sorrows of many women, many mothers, many girls in our society. Today, let’s remember and pray that the Sorrows of the Blessed Mother will bring relief and healing to the following:

Mothers of drug addicts and peddlers 

Mothers of prostitutes 

Mothers whose young sons were innocently gunned down and killed

Mothers of criminals 

Mothers of the kidnapped 

Mothers of the imprisoned

Mothers with abusive husbands

Mothers of serial killers 

Mothers of rapists and the raped

Mothers of the homeless

Mothers whose children have broken their hearts

Depressed and suffering mother

Single mothers and widowed mothers 

Mothers of those at the margins of the society and mothers of the forgotten 

“Get Behind Me, Satan!”

Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

September 13, 2015

Jesus and his disciples were traveling to the villages of Caesarea Philippi when he  asked them two questions: the first, an easy question— “Who do people say that I am?” The second question, a challenging one— “Who do you say that I am?” The first question is about what they have heard about Jesus. It’s about other people’s notions, views and gossips about him. But the second question is about discipleship. Jesus was simply saying to them, “Hey guys, you have been listening to me preach and teach, you have seen me heal and cast out demons; you have seen me perform numerous miracles, signs and wonders. Now, judging from all you have witnessed, who do you think I am?” He was also asking them: “From all you have seen, witnessed, and experienced, can you commit to follow me?” On behalf of the disciples, Peter made a profound profession of faith, “You are the Christ (that is, the Messiah, the Savior)” Immediately after his declaration, Jesus taught them what being the Messiah is all about: that his Messianic rule isn’t about restoring the Kingdom of David by military might and bringing defeat to the Roman oppressors. He told them that he, the messiah must go to Jerusalem, suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,  be killed and on the third day be raised. Peter did not like what he heard. He was not impressed at all. It’s never a generally accepted norm for someone to wish or to predict doom and gloom upon himself or herself. So, out of protective love and concern, he took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. As he was speaking, Jesus noticed that the Evil One has hijacked his thought. He realized that if anyone needed a casting and binding prayer, a deliverance prayer, a prayer of rebuke, it is not him but Peter. So, he exercised his ministry right away: “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  

But don’t be in a haste to blame Peter for not wanting any harm to come upon his Master. Don’t blame him for protecting the interest of his Master. Isn’t that what good friends do for each other? But God has already spoken through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way” (Isaiah 55:8). Jesus’ way was the way of the cross and thorns. His way was the way of redemptive suffering. He understood perfectly the principle of “no cross, no crown.” Many of us are like Peter. We are joyful and excited to hear about the peace, love, and joy that our faith can bring to us. We are glad to hear of prosperity, breakthrough, healing and deliverance that could come from believing in Jesus. We are definitely going to say a strong “Amen” at the end of the prayer for material blessings. Most Christians love to hear about financial breakthrough and prosperity, healing and miracles etc but once the topic of discussion is the cross, their interest level would drop low. Peter is like many of us who would prefer the theology of no cross, all crowns. But with his own life, Jesus teaches us that without the cross, there will be no crown. Without death, there will be no resurrection. In John 12:24, he says, “I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Now, when Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan” did he in any way suggest that his friend was satanic? Absolutely not! Was he saying that Peter was an evil person? No, he did not! He sensed that the Devil had influenced the mind of Peter, and was telling him what to say. He noticed that Satan was trying to use his bosom friend to derail or prevent the work of God from moving forward. The Tempter was using Peter to talk Jesus out of his mission, part of which involved suffering and death. So, looking intently at Peter but beyond Peter, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan.” 

If there’s anyone who is trying to discourage you from giving yourself totally to God, you need to stand strong and say, “Get behind me, Satan.” If there’s any situation that wants to prevent you from keeping your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, it’s time to say, “Get behind me, Satan.” To that voice urging you to hate, resent and discriminate, say to it, “Get behind me, Satan.” If someone is asking you not to forgive your offender, it’s time to say, “Get behind me, Satan.” If pain or sickness or difficulty in life is trying to make you lose faith, stand up and say, “Get behind me, Satan.” If anything or anyone has become an obstacle that’s preventing you from using your time, talent and treasure in the house of God, speak with Jesus, “Get behind me, Satan.” If you’ve become too busy to go to church and too busy to pray, then it’s time to say to whatever is taking the place of God in your life, “Get behind me, Satan.” Whatever it is that is talking you out of accomplishing God’s mission for you, God’s calling for you, speak up today, “Get behind me, Satan.”

May the devil always stay behind us and away from us!

The Speech Impediment That Really Hurts

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

September 6, 2015

Today’s Gospel taken from Mark 7: 31-37 tells us that as soon as Jesus came into the district of Decapolis, people brought to him a man who had multiple problems: speech impediment and trouble hearing clearly. Jesus took him away from the crowd, put his finger into his ears, and with his own spittle, he touched his tongue. After that, he looked up to heaven (from where our help comes from), and said to him “Ephphatha!” which means “Be opened!” Immediately, the man’s ears opened and his speech impediment was removed and he started speaking with ease.

Did you notice that Jesus did not say to the man “Begin to hear!” or “Begin to speak?” He simply said to him, “Be opened!” This is an indication of how we should live our lives, that is, to open our hearts to God and to God’s Word. Psalm 119: 11 says: “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you.” And in verse 105 of the same Psalm 119, the Psalmist declares: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” In the gospel of John 6: 63 Jesus says: “The words I speak to you are spirit and life.” If we open our hearts to the Word of God, we will be able to see Jesus not only in the Eucharist, but also in others. If we open our hearts to the Word of God, our thoughts and hearts will be purified, and we will be able to see God in everybody. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” If we stretch this famous words of Jesus further, we will have the following: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God in everybody and in everyone.” 

Now, deafness may not be a problem for most of us. Our problem may not be physical deafness, but spiritual one. Some of us are too busy to hear Jesus. Some of us are too busy to hear the Word of God. With our ears wide open and able to hear what is said far away, we are still not able to hear the redeeming voice of our Lord. Spiritual deafness does not allow us to hear the Good Shepherd and to recognize him in the events of life. It does not allow us to see or notice others. Spiritual deafness does not allow us to hear the cry of the needy ones in the society. It prevents us from hearing what needs to be done to make our society a more humane and compassionate one. It deafens us from hearing the truth—truth that saves. There are those in our society who have been deafened by the huge and massive wealth in the nation that they are no longer able to hear the voices of those who have not benefitted from this wealth. Capitalist economy or market economy is the economic system practiced in US and elsewhere, but we cannot be deafened to hearing the obvious truth that unregulated capitalism would leave so many people poorer and more vulnerable. We cannot be deaf to the words of the Holy Father, Pope Francis who has called for the protection and preservation of our common home—planet earth. If we don’t hear the voices of those on the margins of our society, we are deaf just like the man healed by Jesus in the Gospel.

The unnamed man that Jesus healed in today’s Gospel has a speech impediments as well. The word “impediment” means anything that hinders or obstructs someone from doing something. “Speech impediments are a type of communication disorder where ‘normal’ speech is disrupted.” The affected persons may stutter when they speak. Serious speech impediments may render someone unable to speak at all. 

Beloved in Christ, the speech impediments we discussed above are physical problems. We oftentimes feel sorry for those with such disorders because they are not able to communicate with the rest of the society. But there is another type of speech impediment, and it is this type that really hurts. People with Physical speech impediments can easily be numbered. But those with spiritual speech impediments are too numerous to be counted. You and I may be suffering from it. If the language we speak is not the language of the Spirit, which is love, then we have a speech impediments. If we praise God in church, and thereafter worship the Devil out of the church, we have speech impediments. If the language we speak is that of division, hate, discrimination and racism, then we have speech impediments. If we don’t speak peace, we have speech impediments. If we don’t speak justice for all, we have speech impediments. If we talk about others instead of talking to them, then we have speech impediments. If we talk about others in a condescending and insulting manner, then, we have speech impediments. If our speech hurts others, then we have speech impediments. If we glorify money more than human beings, we have speech impediments. If our mouth utters foolishness and falsity, then we have speech impediments. We may be speaking clearly and hearing clearly, but as long as our speech does not glorify and honor God and does not build our human family, we have speech impediment.

Before Jesus healed the deaf man in today’s gospel, he took him away from the crowd; he took him to a private place, looked up to heaven and then prayed for his healing. We need to step aside sometimes alone with Jesus so that we can hear him speak to us.