CCC Cross Reference:
Mk 7:32-36 1504; Mk 7:33-35 1151
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Reading I
1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.
Responsorial Psalm:
Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
R. (11a and 9a) I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
Gospel
Mk 7:31-37
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.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19
One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’
And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80(81):10-15
I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
Let there be no foreign god among you.
no worship of an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
But my people did not heed my voice
and Israel would not obey,
so I left them in their stubbornness of heart
to follow their own designs.
I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
At once I would subdue their foes,
turn my hand against their enemies.
I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.
Gospel Mark 7:31-37
Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Friday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
Jeroboam Revolts and Becomes King of Israel (Continuation)
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[29] And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the open country. [30] Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. [31] And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes [32] (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel).
Ten Tribes Withdraw (Continuation)
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[19] So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
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Commentary:
11:26-40. Jeroboam's revolt is the will of the Lord God of Israel. Through the prophet Ahijah, he makes Jeroboam, who was not a descendant of Solomon, king of the ten tribes of the North, of which Ephraim was the most important. In the past, it was God, too, who designated the king of Israel, as in the case of Saul (cf. 1 Sam 10:22-24) and David (cf. 1 Sam 16:1-12). Now God decides who is to rule each of the two kingdoms (Israel and Judah) that come into being as a punishment for Solomon's sin--and in keeping with God's promise. On account of the sin, the kingdom ought to be taken away from Solomon's line, but because God is faithful to his promise to David he will keep a member of David's house on the throne. So, two kingdoms come into being.
St Cyprian sees the prophet Ahijah's gesture of tearing his cloak into twelve pieces as a counter-symbol to the unity of the Church as symbolized by Christ's tunic. "Christ carried within him the unity which exists on high, the unity of heaven and the Father; this unity can never be sundered by anyone who acquires or possesses it; rather, it always retains as its indivisible character all the solidity and stability of unity. No one who breaks and divides his Church can put on the garment of Christ. What happens is the opposite of what took place at the death of Solomon, when his kingdom and his people were divided up. At that time, the prophet Ahijah, on his way out to meet Jeroboam in the fields, tore his cloak into twelve parts, saying: 'Take ten pieces...'. Just as the twelve tribes of Israel were separated, Ahijah tore his cloak. But since the people of Christ cannot be divided, the Lord's tunic, woven in a single piece without seam, was not torn up by those who fought to take possession of it: undivided, close-knit and united, the tunic is a symbol of the harmony that ought to exist among our people, we who have submitted ourselves to the service of Christ. Christ prefigures the unity of the Church in the mystery and symbolism of his tunic" ("De Unilate Ecclesiae", 7).
12:16-19. The cry "To your tents, O Israel" (v. 16) is not so much a declaration of independence as an act of treachery, as when Sheba rebelled against David (cf. 2 Sam 20:1). The situation that the Northern tribes want to recreate by cutting themselves off from the house of David, is interpreted by the sacred writer as a crime and not a right. They call themselves "Israel", which will be the name of the kingdom of the North, whereas that of the South, where David's line will continue, will be called "Judah", after the tribe that made it up. The observation "to this day" (v. 19) shows that this history was written at a time when those two kingdoms still existed but it also denotes hope of a future reunification.
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From: Mark 7:31-37
The Curing of a Deaf Man
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[31] Then [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. [32] And they brought Him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought Him to lay His hand upon him. [33] And taking him aside from the multitude privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue; [34] and looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." [35] And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. [36] And He charged them to tell no one; but the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [37] And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well; He even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak."
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Commentary:
32-33. Sacred Scripture quite often shows the laying on of hands as a gesture indicating the transfer of power or blessing (cf. Genesis 48:14ff; 2 Kings 5:11; Luke 13:13). Everyone knows that saliva can help heal minor cuts. In the language of Revelation fingers symbolized powerful Divine action (cf. Exodus 8:19; Psalm 8:4; Luke 11:20). So Jesus uses signs which suit in some way the effect He wants to achieve, though we can see from the text that the effect--the instantaneous cure of the deaf and dumb man--far exceeds the sign used.
In the miracle of the deaf and dumb man we can see a symbol of the way God acts on souls: for us to believe, God must first open our heart so we can listen to His word. Then, like the Apostles, we too can proclaim the "magnalia Dei", the mighty works of God (cf. Acts 2:11). In the Church's liturgy (cf. the hymn "Veni Creator") the Holy Spirit is compared to the finger of the right hand of God the Father ("Digitus paternae dexterae"). The Consoler produces in our souls, in the supernatural order, effects comparable to those which Christ produces in the body of the deaf and dumb man.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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