FROM HARDNESS OF HEART (QESHEH LEV) TO OPENNESS (EPHPHATHA)
First Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7a
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
Second Reading: James 2:1-5
Gospel Reading: Mark 7:31-37
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The Hebrew phrase “קְשִׁי לֵב” (Qesheh lev), which means hardness of heart in Hebrew reflects a spiritual condition where a person is resistant to hearing or understanding God’s word. In other words, the idea of hardness of heart implies both spiritual deafness (unable to hear God’s commands) and spiritual blindness (unable to perceive God’s presence). This conveys a state of spiritual resistance, where individuals are metaphorically “deaf” or “blind” to God’s voice and actions due to their hardened hearts. From the very beginning of creation, humanity’s first act of disobedience depicts their resistance to God’s Word, which led to the Fall. This act introduced sin into the world, and with it came a form of spiritual deafness and blindness. Adam and Eve could no longer see or hear God with the clarity they once had. Their communion with God was broken, and this rupture began to permeate the whole of humanity’s relationship with God. As the generations progressed, humanity continued to resist God’s Word. From the story of Cain and Abel to the events leading up to Noah’s flood, sin darkened the hearts of people. Each act of sin created a deeper spiritual distance, rendering them deafer to God’s calls and blinder to His presence. God’s attempts to bring people back to Himself were often met with stubbornness and resistance. By the time of the patriarchs and the formation of Israel as a people, God had established a covenant with them. He gave them laws, prophets, and judges to guide them and to maintain their spiritual hearing and sight. However, even Israel, chosen to be God’s people, frequently turned away from Him. They fell into idolatry, ignored His commands, and became spiritually deaf to His words of warning.
The prophets, including Isaiah, were sent by God as instruments of His mercy, to call the people back to fidelity. In Proto-Isaiah (the first 39 chapters of Isaiah), the prophet continually addressed the people of Judah about their spiritual state. They had closed their ears to God’s Word and had turned their eyes away from His instructions. Isaiah 6:9-10 depicts this, where God tells Isaiah to deliver a message to a people who will “hear but not understand, see but not perceive.” This shows the deep spiritual deafness and blindness that had overtaken the people. Their hearts were hardened by sin, and their continued disobedience led them further from the light of God’s truth. Isaiah warned them that their sin would lead to disaster. The people’s spiritual blindness made them incapable of recognizing the dangers of their actions, and their spiritual deafness caused them to ignore the prophets who tried to bring them back to the covenant. Their refusal to listen to God’s repeated warnings through Isaiah and other prophets would eventually result in the Babylonian exile, a period of great suffering and displacement. The exile was both a punishment for their sins and a chance for purification.
The people of Judah experienced the full consequences of their spiritual condition, losing their land, temple, and freedom. However, Isaiah’s prophecies were not only about punishment. Despite their rebellion, God did not abandon His people. In today’s First Reading (cf. Isaiah 35:4-7a), we see a promise of restoration. God would not leave His people in spiritual deafness and blindness forever. The prophet declares that God will come to save; the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. This powerful imagery speaks of both physical and spiritual healing. God promises to undo the effects of sin that had made His people deaf and blind. The dry and barren land, symbolizing their spiritual desolation, would become a place of life and renewal. Thus, the healing of the deaf and blind was a sign of the coming of the Messianic age, where God’s ultimate plan for salvation would be fulfilled. This restoration would not only bring physical healing but would also symbolize a deeper spiritual opening — where humanity would once again be able to hear and see God clearly. So, this reading points to this future hope, where the effects of sin would be reversed, and God’s creation would be restored to its intended harmony.
The ultimate fulfilment of this promise would come through Jesus Christ, who would heal both physically and spiritually, opening the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind, as a sign of the kingdom of God breaking into the world as we see in today’s Gospel reading (cf. Mark 7:31-37), where Jesus’ command “Ephphatha” (“Be opened”) serves as a fulfilment of the prophecies about the Messiah. This moment isn’t merely about the physical healing of the deaf and mute man; it holds a deeper spiritual significance. Jesus’ action symbolizes the beginning of an era where humanity’s spiritual deafness and blindness—caused by sin—are being addressed. The man who cannot hear or speak clearly represents humanity’s condition, not just in the time of Isaiah but throughout history, as people resisted God’s calls and were blind to His presence. Jesus’ command “Ephphatha” connects directly to the prophetic vision of healing and restoration described in Isaiah. The physical act of opening this man’s ears symbolizes the spiritual renewal Jesus offers to all people. Sin, which had closed off people’s hearts and minds to God, is being undone by the Messiah. In this healing, Jesus shows that the era of salvation, promised for so long, is being fulfilled. His command is both literal and symbolic—a call for all of humanity to open up to the grace and truth that God offers through His Son. The Hebrew background of this idea, where the heart (lev) is often seen as the seat of understanding, ties into the idea of spiritual deafness and blindness as a result of a hardened heart (qesheh lev). In the Old Testament, particularly through the prophets, the people of Israel were often described as stiff-necked and hard-hearted, unable to respond to God’s call. Their inability to hear God’s voice or see His actions was not just a physical issue but a deep spiritual one. With “Ephphatha,” Jesus reverses the effects of this spiritual condition, restoring not just physical senses but the ability to hear and see God’s truth.
This leads us to a practical connection with the Second Reading (from James 2:1-5), where James addresses the sin of favouritism in the Christian community. James warns against showing partiality toward the rich while neglecting the poor, reminding believers that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. Just as the Gospel speaks of the need to open up spiritually, James reminds us that our hearts must be open to seeing every person as equal in God’s eyes. Spiritual deafness and blindness, in this context, can manifest in our inability to see the dignity of others, particularly the marginalized. When we fail to honour the poor, we are closing our hearts to God’s call for justice and love. Therefore, just as Jesus opened the ears of the deaf man, we are called to open our hearts to those we often overlook or ignore.
Beloved friends in Christ, In the Baptismal Rite, the Church incorporates this same divine command “Ephphatha”, used by Jesus, during the sacrament. As part of the ceremony, the priest touches the ears and mouth of the newly baptized, saying, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute speak, may He soon touch your ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.” This gesture symbolizes the opening of the spiritual faculties—ears to hear God’s word and lips to proclaim it—just as Jesus opened the ears of the deaf man in the Gospel. For the newly baptized, this moment represents not only the cleansing of original sin but also the opening of the soul to God’s grace. The command Ephphatha in Baptism reminds us that the sacrament is the beginning of our spiritual journey: we are now capable of hearing, understanding, and proclaiming the truths of faith, which were previously blocked by the deafness and blindness of sin. Through Baptism, our hearts are opened, much like the deaf man’s ears, to fully participate in the life of grace and the Church.
Therefore, the message of today’s readings invites us to examine our own spiritual deafness and blindness, caused by sin and hardened hearts, and to allow Christ’s healing power to open us to God’s presence and truth through the Eucharistic celebration and our study of God’s Word. Just as Jesus commanded “Ephphatha” to the deaf man, He calls each of us to be opened—not just physically, but spiritually—so that we may truly hear and respond to God’s word and see His grace in every person, especially those marginalized or overlooked. Through this openness, we participate in the restoration God promised, becoming witnesses to His justice, love, and mercy in our daily lives.
Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
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Have you prayed your rosary today?
Amen