Maymay sa Magbalantay

“In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and who can hardly speak. He looks up to heaven and says one word: “Ephphatha” — “Be opened.” And immediately, the man begins to hear and speak clearly.

That one word is very timely for us today.

Because we live in a world that hears too much, but listens too little.

We are surrounded by noise — news, social media, endless opinions, arguments everywhere. And yet, many hearts remain closed. We hear many voices, but we fail to hear the poor. We hear rumors, but we miss the truth. We hear almost everything — except the quiet voice of God.

And because we don’t listen well, we also don’t speak well.

Today, many people speak loudly. We defend ourselves quickly. We criticize, judge, and attack easily. But it has become hard to speak words that heal, forgive, and encourage. Like the man in the Gospel, our tongues are often tied — not physically, but spiritually.

Look at how Jesus heals.

He first takes the man away from the crowd. Sometimes healing begins when we step away from the noise. Then Jesus touches the ears and the tongue. Healing is personal. And Jesus sighs — He feels compassion. He is not irritated by our weakness. He is moved by it.

So the message today is simple:

We need to ask Jesus to open us — not our phones, not our mouths, but our hearts.

Open our ears, so we can truly hear God’s Word.

Open our hearts, so we can listen to one another.

Open our mouths, so we can speak the truth with love.

And when Jesus opens us, people will still be able to say what they said long ago: “He has done all things well.”

And honestly, that is what our world needs to see again.”