KINGS 11: 29 – 32; 12: 19

At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel).”’ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 81: 10 – 11ab, 12 – 15 (R.) 11a, 9a

R/. I am the Lord, your God: listen to my voice.

“Let there be no strange god among you,
nor shall you worship a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” R/.

“But my people did not heed my voice,
and Israel would not obey me.
So I left them in their stubbornness of heart,
to follow their own designs.” R/.

“O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
At once I would subdue their foes,
turn my hand against their enemies.” R/.

ALLELUIA

Alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord, that we may give heed to the words of your Son. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
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.
REFLECTION: The Authority of God
February 11, 2022

“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened. (Mark 7:34-35)

How often do you hear Jesus say this to you? “Ephphatha! Be opened!” Or how often do you hear Him speak to you with such authority?

Did Jesus say this only because this man was physically deaf and He wanted to physically cure him? Or is there a deeper significance? By healing this man unable to hear physical sounds, Jesus was revealing something to us about what He wants to do for us. Jesus is giving us a clear and deeper message in this healing. Certainly there are many messages we can take from this passage. Let’s look at one.

The message is in Jesus’ command: “Be opened!” These are powerful words commanding action. They are not optional words. They are clear and definitive. “Be opened” is not a question, not an invitation, it is a command. This is significant!

These two little words reveal the fact that Jesus has made up His mind to act. They reveal that He is not hesitant in the least in this choice. He has made up His mind and has spoken His will. And this action, on His part, is what makes a difference. These two little words reveal that God is not indecisive when He speaks. He is not shy or uncertain. He is absolute and clear.

This understanding should give us great comfort. Comfort in the sense that Jesus is ready and willing to exercise His all-powerful authority. He does have all-power and He is not afraid to exercise this authority when He wants to. Most importantly, He wants to exercise His authority when it will bring about the greatest good in our lives.

It should give us great comfort in the sense that we can trust that this all-powerful God is all-powerful and is in control. If He is even in control of the natural world (physical hearing), then He is most certainly in control of the spiritual world, too. He is able to do all things good.

When we find that we are in the presence of one who is not only all-powerful, but also all-loving and all-merciful, we should be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief and turn our absolute trust over to Him. He is able and fully willing to be in control.

Reflect, today, upon these two little words. Let this holy and divine authority of Jesus take control over your life. Let Him command you. His commands are perfect love and mercy. They are words that will direct you to your ultimate good. And this all-powerful God is worthy of all your trust.

PRAYER:
All-powerful Lord, I do trust You and I know that You can do all things. I know that You desire to have perfect authority in my life. Help me to turn my life fully over to You and to trust You enough to direct and to command every action of my life. Jesus, I fully trust in You!https://masvingomirror.com