SEPTEMBER 8TH 2024.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

FIRST READING
“Then the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”
ISAIAH 35: 4 – 7a

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 
Psalm 146: 6c – 7, 8 – 9a, 9bc – 10ab (R.) 1b

R/. Come, Lord, and save us.
Or: 
Alleluia.

It is the Lord who preserves fidelity forever,
Who does justice to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
The Lord who sets prisoners free. R/.

It is the Lord who opens the eyes of the blind,
The Lord who raises up those who are bowed down.
It is the Lord who loves the just,
The Lord who protects the stranger. R/.

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow,
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever,
the God of Sion from age to age. R/.

SECOND READING 
“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be heirs of the kingdom?”
JAMES 2: 1 – 5

My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?

The Word of the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Matthew 4: 23

Alleluia.
Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL       
“He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
MARK 7: 31 – 37

At that time: Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand upon him. And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Svondo 8 Gunyana – September;

Svondo yemakumi maviri neyechitatu yegore – B

Chiverengo chokutanga: Isaya 35,4-7a

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku roMuporofita Isaya
4 Itii kune vane mwoyo unotya,
“Simbai mwoyo, regai kutya!
Tarirai muone, Mwari wenyu ari kuuya
kuzotsividza nokutsividza kwaMwari,
achizogadziridza zvamakakanganisirwa,
achauya okununurai.”
5Maziso amapofu achasvinudzwa,
nzeve dzamatsi dzichivhurwa.
6 Ipapo mheta makumbo dzichachirika
semhene,
rurimi rwechimumumu ruchaimba norufaro
nokuti murenje muchaita mafashamo emvura,
mugwenga muchaita tukova twemvura.
7Mujecha munopisa muchava madziva,
ivhu rine nyota richiva zvitubu zvemvura.
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira/Responsorial Psalm:
Nziyo 146,6c-7.8-9a.9b-10. (D – Isaya 35,4)

(D) – Uyayi TENZI, kuzotinunura.
TENZI anochengeta chitsidzo chake
nokusingaperi.
7Anoona kuti vakadzvinyirirwa vaitirwa zvino
ruenzaniso, anopa chokudya vane nzara,
TENZI anosunungura vasungwa.
(D) – Uyayi TENZI, kuzotinunura.
8TENZI anosvinudza meso amapofu,
TENZI anosimudzira vanenge varasiswa mwoyo,
TENZI anoda vakarurama.
9TENZI anotarisa vatorwa.
(D) – Uyayi TENZI, kuzotinunura.
Anotsigira chirikadzi nenherera,
asi nzira yavakaipa anoiparadza.
10TENZI achatonga nokusingaperi,
Mwari wako iwe guta reZioni, pazvizvarwa
nezvizvarwa.
(D) – Uyayi TENZI, kuzotinunura.

Chiverengo chechipiri: Jemusi 2,1-5

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mutsamba yaJemusi
1Hama, musave norusaruro, imi muine chitendero
muna Tenzi wedu Jesu Kristu, Tenzi wembiri. 2Ngatitii, munhu ane mhete dzendarama, akapfeka
hanzu dzakanakisisa anouya pasangano penyu.
Munhu murombo akapfeka marengenya ouyawo,
3 imi motarira uya akapfeka hanzu dzakanakisisa
moti kwaari, “Uya ugare napapa,” asi muchiti
kumurombo, “Mira uko” kana kuti, “Uya ugare
pasi pedyo nechitambarariko chetsoka dzangu.”
4 Hamuna here kuita rusaruro pakati penyu
muchiva vatongi vane pfungwa dzakaipa?
5 Teererai, hama dzangu dzadiwa. Mwari haana
kusarudza here varombo panyika kuti vave vapfumi
muchitendero, uye vagari venhaka youmambo
hwaakatsidzira vanomuda?
Shoko raTenzi.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka/ Gospel Acclamation:
Mateu 4,23

Areruya, Areruya.
Jesu aiparidza Shoko
Rakanaka roumambo, uye achirapa zvirwere
zvose pakati pavanhu. Areruya.

Shoko Rakanaka:
Mariko 7,31-37

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naMariko
31Jesu akabva mudunhu reTire, akapfuura nomuSidhoni achinanga kugungwa reGarirea; akaenda
napakati penyika yeDhekaporisi.
32 Vanhu vakauya kwaari nomunhu akanga ari
matsi, asingagoni kunyatsotaura. Vakamuteterera kuti aise ruoko rwake paari. 33 Iye akamutora
parutivi kubva kuruzhinji rwavanhu voenda pavo
voga. Akapinza minwe yake munzeve dzake;
akapfira mate, ndokubata rurimi rwake. 34 Ipapo
akatarisa kudenga, ndokutura befu oti kwaari,
“Efata,” zvichireva kuti, “Dziuka.” 35 Pakarepo
nzeve dzake dzakabva dzadziuka, kadzita korurimi
rwake kakabva kasununguka, ndokubva ava
kugona kutaura zvakanaka.
36 Akavatsindidza kuti vasataurire izvi kuna ani
zvake. Asi sokunyanya kutsindidza kwaakavaita,
vakabva vatonyanyawo kuzviparidzira. 37 Vanhu
vakashamiswa chaizvo vachiti, “Akaita zvakanaka
zvinhu zvose zvaakaita. Anoita kuti kunyange
vamatsi vanzwe nembeveve dzitaure.”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

*GOSPEL REFLECTION: Humble Instruments of Grace*_September 8, 2024__He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”—that is, “Be opened!”—And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. (Mark 7:33–35)_One interesting point in this story is that the people who brought this deaf and mute man to Jesus begged Him to “lay his hand on him” so as to heal him. But what did Jesus do? Instead, He took the man away from the crowd, put His divine finger into the man’s ears, touched the man’s tongue with His own sacred saliva and the man was cured. At first, the act of putting your finger into someone else’s ear and touching their tongue with your own saliva may seem repulsive. Normally it would be. To understand these two actions, we must understand the symbolism.The image of a finger is used a number of times in the Scriptures to refer to God’s power. In the Book of Exodus after the plague of the gnats, Pharaoh’s magicians said that this was clearly done “by the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). On the mountain when Moses received the Ten Commandments we know that it was also God’s finger that wrote them (Exodus 31:18). In the book of Daniel, a finger appeared and wrote a prophetic message on a wall (Daniel 5:5). In the New Testament, Jesus cast out a demon “by the finger of God” (Luke 11:20) and in today’s Gospel He healed this man’s hearing with His finger. The “finger of God” is understood as the power of God and an action of the Holy Spirit. Thus, by using His sacred finger to heal, Jesus was symbolically revealing that He fully exercised the power of God and acted in perfect union with the Holy Spirit and the Father.The image of saliva is also interesting. Perhaps you have noticed that when an animal has a wound it often licks that wound. This is a natural instinct but also one that makes sense. Saliva has a certain medicinal power of healing. It contains antibacterial agents. Therefore, since normal saliva can help heal a wound, Jesus’s saliva is able to heal in a supernatural way. Recall, also, that Jesus healed a blind man by spitting on the ground and then smearing the mud on his eyes (John 9:6).https://youtu.be/cFVB3EwwxB0?si=UVzJnI4Li0cnABmrDid Jesus need to use His finger and His saliva to heal this man? Certainly not. He could have done it with a mere thought. But He chose to use His body as an instrument of His healing power. Doing so reveals to us that Jesus’ humanity became the source of unity between God and man. Even His finger and His saliva unite us to God. Everything about the Son of God in His human form dispensed grace, healing and mercy. Even that which may, at first, seem most repulsive.Though there is much we can take from this passage, one thing that should not be missed is that if Jesus chose to use His finger and even his saliva to dispense His power, so, also, He desires to continue using the members of His Body to distribute His grace. By Baptism, you are a member of Christ’s Body, the Church. You are His hands and feet, His eyes and voice, His heart and finger, and even His saliva. That last thought is very humbling. But if Jesus can use His saliva for healing, He can use you. If we can humbly understand that, then we will be better disposed to become an instrument of His divine mercy to those who need it. God is able to use us NOT because we are worthy of being used. Rather, He can use us because He has chosen to do so, even in our most humble state.*Reflect,* today, upon the image of Jesus healing this deaf and mute man. If you ever feel as though God cannot use you, call to mind the way in which our Lord worked this miracle. If God can use His finger and His saliva, He certainly can use you, no matter how unworthy or sinful you may be. This miracle shows us that God can use all things for His glory for the simple reason that He is God. Humble yourself and offer yourself to God to use you as He wills. Doing so will give God the opportunity to manifest His almighty power through you.*PRAYER:*_My healing Lord, when You took on human form, You united divinity with humanity. Through Your sacred humanity, You poured forth Your grace and mercy and continue to do so today. Please use me, dear Lord, as an instrument of Your grace. May I always humbly see myself as Your unworthy instrument, whom You choose to use despite my unworthiness. Jesus, I trust in You