Homily: 12 February 2021: Mark 7:31-37

Please read the passage before reading the homily

When we hear the word apocalypse or speak of something as apocalyptic, about what do we usually think?  Do images of catastrophic plane crashes, erupting volcanoes, raging flood waters, exploding dams, falling skyscrapers and other terrible things come to mind?  What if instead we had images of great healings taking place or beautiful sunrises and sunsets?  The word apocalypse or apocalyptic means revelation.  In itself it has nothing to do with horrifying endings of the earth or time.  It refers primarily to a time when God comes to set things right.

Mark told us that Jesus spent some time in pagan territory.  Tyre and Sidon lay outside the land of Israel.  The reaction of the people there, as Mark described it, was one of astonishment and gratitude.  Mark described the visit of Jesus in apocalyptic terms.

What can be more terrifying than being healed?  The deaf man who could not speak well depended on others to navigate him where he had to go.  The crippled person and others with disabilities also had to depend on others.  Once healed, they had to face the horror of taking care of themselves and of finding jobs

Imagine a different scenario.  Jesus takes the man aside to heal him and the man pulls away.  He tells Jesus not to heal him because he is comfortable with his life as it has unfolded, that he does not want to change things, that he likes being dependent on others.  Once he is healed he has to change.  Healing him would be apocalyptic in the strongest sense of the term.

Mark has described the ministry of Jesus in pagan territory as an apocalyptic event.  The astonishment of the people confirmed this.  In the actions of Jesus, God has been made manifested to pagans.  Restoring the hearing and the healing speech impediments were signs of God’s presence in the world in a decisive way, even in an apocalyptic way.

Jesus healed the man.  He made his ears and mouth right so that the ears could hear and the mouth could speak properly.  This way the word of God could spread by people who could hear and speak.  Just as God did well in creating the earth, so Jesus did well in making the deaf to hear and mute to speak.  We have a share in this apocalyptic work of Jesus.  We are sent into the pagan territories of our lives to bring the healing apocalyptic presence of Jesus wherever we go today, tomorrow and beyond.  This is our glorious and resplendent apocalypse.