Twelft Sunday after Trinity

Today’s Gospel tells us about the healing of a deaf man who, in addition to not being able to hear, also had an impediment in his speech. In fact, the text of the Gospel shows that these were not the only problems this man had. We are told that he was brought to Jesus. Literally translated from the Greek, we should say that he was carried to Jesus. The reason was either that he didn’t want to go on his own, or that he wasn’t able to walk on his own.

I once baptized a 90-year-old man who was blind and almost deaf. He could speak, but not very well. He told me that he had wanted to be baptized ever since he turned sixty but had not been able to because he was ashamed of his inability. He could not bear the thought of having to go to the baptismal font in view of the whole congregation and probably not understand what was going on, as he could not see, and heard very poorly. In the end, however, he came – or rather was brought. These were people in a similar situation, with whom he belonged to the same society of disabled persons.

When the deaf man was brought to Jesus, Jesus took him aside and healed him – not in front of a large crowd, but alone with him. I did the same with this blind and almost deaf man. He came to church only with his friends; I baptized him, and he became a faithful church member. By now he is with the Lord in eternity.

God knows us all, no matter what our situation is and what our characteristics are. He doesn’t want to shame us or embarrass us – He wants to help us, heal us, and save us, just as is best for each of us. Of course, it is good that there are people who accompany us and, if necessary, carry us. This is the vocation of all of us: to accompany and, if necessary, carry our neighbors when they need our and especially God’s help.