Ephphata: Be Opened
Dear brothers and sisters,
A couple of weeks ago, I administered baptism to two lovely children. One was about 13, and the other about 8. The celebration of Baptism included what is known as the “Rite of Ephphata.” In this rite, the priest touches the mouth and ears of the newly baptized person and says, "Ephphatha,” praying that he or she may soon hear the word of God and profess the faith.
As I performed this rite, I caught sight of the mother of the two children. She was nodding intensely, pleading with the Lord to make the prayer a reality for her two children.
It is every mother’s wish that her children listen. God also wishes for each of us to listen to him. But there are elements in our society that tend to foster the opposite regarding the things of God – promoting indifference to God’s promises and invitations or discouraging us from publicly expressing our faith. In this sense, as far as the gospel is concerned, we become deaf and mute.
So, dear brothers and sisters, rather than merely hearing the Lord saying “Be opened” to the deaf and mute man, you should also listen to him saying it to you. “Be opened.”
In the first reading, through Isaiah, the prophet, God promises to change us using many consoling images: “Thus says the LORD:…Be strong, fear not!… the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared;… the lame [shall] leap like a stag,… the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
As you open yourself and listen to the voice of the Lord, like the man in the Gospel, ask yourself: What new way of seeing or insight has God given you lately? What have you heard that cleared up something for you? When did you last leap like a stag (physically or spiritually)? Lately, what has caused you to sing for joy deep in your heart? What has brought you refreshment in the past few days? In what areas of your life is the Lord asking you to “be opened” to him to refresh you, to renew you, to experience joy like that of the man in the gospel, because now you can hear his voice, and you can speak?