FACETIME OR “FACE-TO-FACE” TIME?
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: There is a ritual in the rite of baptism whose name and form are taken from today’s gospel: ‘Ephphatha’. The celebrant touches the ears and the lips of the one being baptised and says: “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he touch your ear to receive his word and your mouth to proclaim his faith.”
This is our mission: to receive the word and to proclaim it. We pray that we may be effective communicators of God’s word and love.
Penitential Rite
L: But often we have been deaf to the Lord and to the cries of our brothers and sisters; we have spoken our word. We ask the Lord’s pardon.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you touched the deaf-mute and healed him:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of power and compassion,
in Christ you reveal your will
to heal and to save.
Open our ears to your redeeming word
and move our hearts
so that our every word and work
may proclaim as Messiah
Jesus the Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Response Praise the Lord, my soul!
Reading 2 James 2:1-5
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
Gospel Mark 7:31-37
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are in the Decapolis region when people bring a deaf-mute to Jesus, and you witness the process of healing.
What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear Jesus say “Ephphatha” and you realise the deaf-mute can hear and speak?
Sunday Snippets
The great paradox of our time is that we live in an age of social communication, but we rarely communicate; we have hundreds of social-network friends but few real-life friends; we FaceTime with people, but seldom spend “face-to-face” time with them. We encounter/ create barriers to communication.
Jesus faced similar communication barriers in his ministry.
We are almost mid-way through Mark’s portrayal of Jesus. Throughout his ministry, Jesus has been pleading with people to listen to his word. They do not: the disciples cannot understand his teachings, the crowds want wonders, his own people do not accept him, the religious leaders see him as a threat. Mark presents group after group with its spiritual blocks.
Then, Mark presents a man “who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech.” He wants to but cannot communicate. Jesus takes him aside, away from the crowd, and spends time with him; he communicates with him through touch, a language he could understand. Jesus gives him back his ability to communicate; he can hear and he proclaims about Jesus.
This miracle is more than just a healing story.
There is a parallel between the deaf-mute and Jesus’ disciples. The man could neither hear nor speak; he needed healing. The disciples could not understand Jesus’ message and therefore could not proclaim it; they, too, needed healing.
Further, the healing indicates that the Messianic age has dawned. It fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah to the exiles, which we heard in the first reading.
We need to be healed of our spiritual deafness and spiritual speech impediments.
Will I allow the Lord to take me aside to touch me? Will I move away from the crowds (of people and gadgets) to spend time with my loved ones and communicate in a language they understand?
May the Lord touch us and restore our ability to communicate. May we disconnect from the virtual world – at least sometimes – to connect with people and reality around us.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Isaiah writes about the hope of deliverance from exile. Right now, from what sufferings do people “whose hearts are frightened” need to be liberated: Covid, climate change, government takeover, earthquake, racial injustice, immigration, trafficking?
Reading 2: “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?” Do I give the same respect to people who have money and prestige as to those who do not?
Gospel: How can I be more open to God working in my life? How can I be more open to the needs of others?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Let us pray with fullest trust to the Father in heaven who always listens to what we ask him in Jesus’ name: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that God may heal our deafness so that we may hear God’s invitations to service and recognize the cry of those who are suffering, we pray…
R: For all world leaders: that they recognize the dignity of all people regardless of status, wealth, or social position and seek to meet the basic needs of every person, we pray…
R: For all who have hearing or speech problems: that we may affirm them as sisters and brothers and help them to use their gifts fully for God’s glory, we pray…
R: For those suffering for natural and human-made disasters: that God may protect them from further harm, and help them find assistance and relief, we pray…
R: For a greater recognition of our call to be stewards of God's creation: that we may experience a new relationship with the created world and work to promote the wise use of its resources, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that God may free us from the noise that blocks our ability to hear his Word, prepare our hearts to receive that Word, and help us grow in communion with him and one another, we pray…
L: God our Father, listen to us as we pray to you. Open our ears and our mouths that we may communicate with you and those around us. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
I have just hung up; why did he telephone?
I don’t know… Oh! I get it…
I talked a lot and listened very little.
Forgive me, Lord; it was a monologue and not a dialogue.
I explained my idea and did not get his;
Since I didn’t listen, I learned nothing,
Since I didn’t listen, I didn’t help,
Since I didn’t listen, we didn’t commune.
Forgive me, Lord, for we were connected,
And now we are cut off.
- Michel Quoist, Prayers
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
you wait for us to be open to you, to people,
and to all that is true, beautiful, and good.
Let your Spirit open our ears
to the liberating word of your Son.
Let him open our lips,
that we may proclaim everywhere
the marvels you do for us.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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