Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 14, 2020
Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Joy! The joy of the man who, after a lifetime of not hearing or being understood, now hears and speaks plainly! The joy of those who brought him to Jesus, at seeing this miraculous healing. A joy that could not be contained, as they zealously proclaimed his healing to all.
Disappointment. The disappointment of those who hear of the itinerant healer from Nazareth, but who could not get to him, who did not have their burdens lifted.
As it is with us. A brother, a classmate, whose cancer was not cured. A parent whose dementia will not subside. A world of suffering. Our daughter and son-in-law have a poster in their home, “Be kind. Everyone is fighting a hard battle.” Indeed, each of us has our troubles.
Yet our world is full of joy. We need only to recognize and appreciate it. The stroke victim, working to regain his strength and his words. The man, abused for years as a child by his priest, trying to heal, and to help others heal. A brilliant sunrise on a frigid February morning. The couple, married for decades, still holding hands as they walk together. The first blooms of spring. Parents welcoming a new life into their family. A surprise Valentine’s Day gift.
Our ultimate joy is that you and I are human, members of a race in which God himself became incarnate. So loved by God that he was betrayed, tortured and crucified (crucified!) – for me!
His healing will come, perhaps not in my time, but it will come. His love is infinite. How zealously will I proclaim it?
Prayer
Lord Jesus: The people begged you to heal the deaf man with a speech impediment. At your touch and your word, he heard and he spoke plainly. In your compassion, Lord Jesus, help me to hear your word and to speak it with conviction. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Although not as famous as the saint we celebrate popularly today, Valentine, Cyril and Methodius, like Valentine, represent the strength of Christian love, as the strong bond of brotherly love of these two men strengthened them as they spread Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Europe.
Cyril and Methodius were born in the early ninth century in Thessalonica, which is now part of contemporary Greece. Methodius, the elder, was born around 818AD and Cyril around 827AD. Some sources claim that they were ethnically Turkish by birth, others that they were Greek. Their father died when they were still young and they were raised by the great preacher Theoktistos, who was not only a revered minister but was a powerful figure in the court of the Emperor.
Cyril was sent on his first missionary expedition East on his own, while Methodius became an abbot of a monastery. Cyril returned and studied philosophy, while he continued having great influence in the affairs of the empire. The brothers were sent on a mission to Moravia, at the request of Prince Rastislav of Moravia. Moravia had recently rejected paganism and converted to Christianity. But the people needed more instruction in the faith. Cyril and Methodius, imitating Christ's gospel command to journey two-by-two, traveled to Moravia and spread the faith. Furthermore, they created a new alphabet—Glagolitic—to write down the Slavic language, in order that they might receive religious instruction and practice the liturgy in the local tongue. This original alphabet still exists as modern Cyrillic (named after Cyril himself).
The brothers worked tirelessly to bring Christianity to the Slavs in their native tongue. They translated the liturgy and most books of the Bible into the Slavonic language.
Cyril died in 869 in Rome and Methodius died several years later in 885, after serving as archbishop of Moravia after his brother's death. The brothers have been celebrated as saints early as the eleventh century, and many Eastern European countries honor them with public holidays. They are the patron saints of Europe and also of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
They are witnesses to the creative ability of missionaries to bring the love of God into every culture and to speak the Word of God in rich and beautiful new languages.
Saints Cyril and Methodius, brothers who spread Christianity throughout Eastern Europe—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Cyril and Methodius is in the public domain. Last accessed December 5, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
