COMMENTARY.
The Omnipotence of our Lord. The first miracle related, i. e. the curing of the woman of Chanaan’s daughter, was worked by our Lord at a distance from her who was possessed, and by the sole power of His Almighty will. In the second miracle, the “Ephpheta” and its instantaneous effect remind us of God’s great creative words: “Let light be!” and their instantaneous effect: “And light was.”
Both miracles were wrought on Gentiles. Our Lord wished to show that, provided they would believe, the Gentiles had a share in the kingdom of the Messias, even if the Israelites, by reason of their election as God’s people, had the first claim.
Faith and humility of the woman of Chanaan.
Perseverance in Prayer. This woman did not give way to discouragement, although for a time Jesus would not hearken to her. His sole response to the intercession of His apostles was to say that He was sent only to the Israelites, and His reply to herself sounded very like an absolute refusal. This shows us that we ought never to weary of prayer, even though it seems as if God would not hearken to us.
The meaning of ceremonies. In healing the deaf-mute our Lord made use of several signs and ceremonies wherewith to enable the man to understand what was the matter with him, and to whom it was he owed his cure, inducing him thereby to have faith in Him. 1. The gazing up to heaven was meant to show him that God alone could help him. 2. The sigh breathed by Jesus was to make him realize what a miserable condition he was in, and to induce him to sigh to heaven for relief. 3. The touching and anointing of his ears and tongue was intended to show him plainly that he owed his cure to Jesus. In her services and in administering the holy sacraments the Church follows the example of her Divine Lord, and makes use of outward and visible signs, whereby to raise our hearts and minds to the supernatural, and make plain to us the invisible effects of the holy sacraments.
The man deaf and dumb is a type of the unregenerate. He who is unbaptized is deaf to the supernatural truths of religion and dumb to confess his faith and his own sinfulness. By Baptism the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are implanted in the soul of man; his spiritual ears are opened to the Divine truth, and his tongue is loosened to confess the faith, and to thank the Redeemer for his benefits. In the rite of Baptism the Church imitates the action of our Lord, the priest touching the child’s ears and nose with spittle, while he pronounces the word ‘Ephpheta': ‘Be opened!’
Hearing and speech are gifts of God, and as such should be used rightly. Remember that you have two ears, but only one tongue,
