Cat Got Your Tongue?

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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Gospel of Mark 7:31-31

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.

When I was a small child, I struggled with speech. When mom asked me a question I couldn't form the correct words in response.  She was very worried that I could be autistic, so she took me to a speech pathologist.   I was given several developmental tests and then placed in a class with children suffering from Autism and Down Syndrome.  Over the course of a few short weeks my speech dramatically improved.  My mother was surprised by the speech pathologist's final assessment:  Jennifer is not autistic. In fact, she is gifted with a high IQ.  She's just one of those children slower in developing her vocal skills; however, overall she is very bright.  Here all along my mom thought I was a dunce, possibly suffering from brain damage, when it turned out I was a very intelligent child.

Thank God the speech pathologist realized I wasn't mentally retarded.  Sadly to this day I receive remarks from both my mom and my sister labeling me as "autistic" because of my personality.  I think it's an extremely unfair label.  If I was genuinely autistic, therapists would have diagnosed me as such years ago!  I'm just a unique woman who doesn't quite fit in the norm. God created me this way, and he loves me just as I am.  

How many times do we label a person as an idiot, slow, or stupid when there is nothing wrong with her?  How many times do we turn a deaf ear away from someone with a stutter, a lisp, or some other kind of voice anomaly? How many times do we refuse to speak to someone who has hurt us?

In today's gospel, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment using his own spit.  How gross!  How unsanitary!  The man's ears can now hear the Word of God and his speech can praise the Lord in thanksgiving and adoration!  He's forever cured.

Does a cat got your tongue?  Are you slow to proclaim the good news of Christ to others?  Are you scared that your words will be taken wrong?  I think if we can let go of our anxieties and turn to God for strength we can persevere in our faith.  People may label us as religious fanatics and rosary beaters!! But we have almighty God on our side.  He constantly heals us with his mercy.  He provides us with just enough courage to fight the good fight!  He gives us scripture, daily Eucharist and regular confession to keep us spiritually sharp.  It's up to us to utilize these divine gifts for his better glory.  

Hear the Word.  Speak the Truth.  Evangelize the Faith.  Don't allow impediments to block you from glorifying God!

Happy Friday the 13th!!

-J.