{"id":146944,"date":"2015-09-05T15:14:44","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T20:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=146944"},"modified":"2015-09-08T10:04:31","modified_gmt":"2015-09-08T15:04:31","slug":"sunday-says-podcast-september-6-2015-mass-readings-and-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/sunday-says-podcast-september-6-2015-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Says Podcast \u2013 September 6, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday September 6, 2015<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Lectionary: 128<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time <\/b>(NAB Translation)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Welcome to the Sunday Says podcast for September 6, 2015, the twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time.\u00a0 Thank you for joining us as we break open the Word of God to prepare our hearts and minds for this Sunday\u2019s Mass.\u00a0 This week Jesus speaks a word in His native Aramaic language, i.e. the word “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.”\u00a0 In so doing He performs a miracle of physical healing that symbolizes an even greater spiritual healing that is open to all of us and opens us<\/i> to all of Him. So let’s delve into the readings. As always we are using the Jerusalem translation for copyright purpose.<\/p>\n

Reading 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Isaiah 35:4-7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>In this passage from the book of Isaiah, God delivers a message of hope for a future Jerusalem where He will liberate his people from much of the misery that came into the world through sin.\u00a0\u00a0 God will do this through the future Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who proves His identity as the Messiah by performing the miracles spoken of in this passage.\u00a0 The prophet states, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,”\u00a0 two signs that are fulfilled in our Gospel reading.\u00a0\u00a0 Above all this is a message of joy where the prophet says “Don’t be afraid…Look, your God is coming\u2026he is coming to save you.”\u00a0 God himself does indeed come to save us — in person<\/i>–through the incarnation of Jesus.\u00a0 He not only heals physical blindness and deafness, but more importantly, spiritual blindness and deafness as well. The final glory brought by God will be like water gushing from the desert.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Responsorial Psalm<\/b><\/p>\n

Psalm 146:6-10<\/a><\/p>\n

The responsorial Psalm is Psalm 146, one of the last four Psalms in the Psalter.\u00a0\u00a0 Psalms are called tehillim in the Jewish tradition, which translates as “Praises.”\u00a0\u00a0 The response appropriately is: Praise the Lord, My Soul.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Second reading<\/b><\/p>\n

James 2:1-5<\/a><\/p>\n

In our second reading from the book of James, Christians are called to avoid making distinctions between classes of people. Perhaps James had in mind a particular incident or circumstance in which wealthier Christians had disrespected the poorer Christians.\u00a0 In any case, James’ message is consistent with many Old Testament passages warning that God Himself is impartial and accepts no bribes, therefore we too must not allow unjust discrimination. God is not only impartial, but has created every person in His own image, therefore every person should be treated with equal dignity and respect.\u00a0 Throughout the Bible we see time and again that God has a special concern for the poor. God’s concerns should be our concerns as well.<\/p>\n

Gospel<\/b><\/p>\n

Mark 7:31-37<\/a> \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In our Gospel reading from St. Mark, we see Jesus coming into an area called the Decapolis that was predominantly influenced and populated by Gentiles, especially Greeks.\u00a0 Not long before this, Jesus has experienced rejection from his own people, so he now goes out to the despised and ignored who are by contrast eager to hear him. It is here that Jesus performs a great physical healing on a man suffering deafness and a speech impediment.\u00a0 Throughout the Bible,\u00a0 we see that deafness symbolizes those who do not listen to or do not hear God’s message.\u00a0 In this healing miracle, you will notice that Jesus uses his fingers and saliva – two very physical things.\u00a0\u00a0 The term “finger of God” in the Bible is often used to describe the action of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0 When Jesus uses the term “Ephphatha,” meaning “Be opened,”\u00a0 he heals in a sequence: first the man hears and then he can speak.\u00a0 This sequence is meant to apply to us in a spiritual sense.\u00a0 In a homily given by Pope Benedict XVI he says, “\u2026this little word, “E<\/i>phphatha\u00a0\u2013 Be opened,” sums up Christ\u2019s entire mission. He became man so that man, made inwardly deaf and dumb by sin, would become able to hear the voice of God, the voice of love speaking to his heart, and learn to speak in the language of love, to communicate with God and with others.”\u00a0 The question for us is whether we too will allow Jesus to perform this miracle in us by opening not only our ears but our hearts as well to first hear what God is telling us, and then to open our tongues to communicate his love and His glory.<\/p>\n

Gospel Meditation<\/b><\/p>\n

Please consider using the following meditation for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sept. 6):<\/p>\n