Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 14, 2025
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Some people brought a deaf man to Jesus to heal him. This seems pretty simple. But what is significant is their unwavering trust in Christ. They did not come to Jesus and say, “Can you heal him?” These people knew that all they had to do was ask, and they knew this through their faith and trust in the Son of God. And they were right! Jesus heals the deaf man, and the people’s prayers are answered.
Today’s gospel is a beautiful story of trust in God, but as we all know, not all stories end in this way. The deaf man is not always physically healed. Our prayers are not always answered in the way we want. This is where steadfast trust in Christ comes in. We can’t control everything that happens in our lives, nor should we. After all, we seek to follow God’s will in our lives, not our own. This spiritual reality is why we must trust in God, but what does that look like?
I went on a hiking pilgrimage with the Congregation of the Holy Cross during my Junior year fall break. We hiked 40 miles in 3.5 days, so I had plenty of time during our 12-hour hikes to grapple with this question. The definition of trust in God came up through discussion with those wiser than me. We settled that this trust takes the form of “actively accepting the realities of our lives.” This means accepting the truths about our lives, the blessings, and the crosses. But trust is not passive. We also must actively strive to live God’s will by using our gifts and talents to serve others and God.
Let us trust God in all our endeavors and beg him to lay his hands upon us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
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
Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who helped Christians who were being persecuted for their faith. One of the services he offered was to perform marriages for Christians during this persecution, which led to his patronage of young people, those in love, and happy marriages.
Valentine was discovered and arrested. Authorities threatened him with torture unless he renounced his faith. He refused and was beaten with clubs, then beheaded. He died on this date in the year 269.
Legend has it that before he was beheaded, he converted his jail guard by healing the man’s daughter, restoring sight to her and writing her a note, which he signed, “From your Valentine.” In the Middle Ages, his feast was connected with the tradition of courtly love.
Much of his story is unreliable, so the official calendar for liturgy for the universal Church uses this date to commemorate Sts. Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine still remains on the calendar for local veneration in Rome, however.
Archeologists have uncovered a Roman catacomb and church that was built in memory of St. Valentine. He was remembered with great honor by early Christians, and was included in the saints recalled in the Mass in some places. Relics of St. Valentine rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica.
Visit our prayercards page to find a prayer for Valentine's Day from campus, as well as a prayer to St. Valentine for married couples.
St. Valentine, patron of young people, those in love, and happy marriages, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Valentine is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed December 5, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
