23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time [B]
23RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B] I’ll begin by linking the miracle of Mark chapter seven with the prophecy outlined in Isaiah chapter thirty five. In other words, our Gospel passage this weekend seems to build upon our selection from the Old Testament. Jesus issues the command: BE OPENED (Mk. 7:34)! It’s an expression that can be applied on more than one level. In this particular case, it refers to the opening of an ear canal. But the command BE OPENED can likewise be applied to an impaired voice box or an impaired eye socket (see Matt. 12:22). We can widen the application further by focusing upon the subject of the human heart. We hear about the opening of eye sockets, ear canals, and voice boxes. And yet, all too often, the problem has more to do with the heart (see Mk. 7:21-23). Note this weekend’s second reading. James includes this message about partiality because hearts are sealing shut when they should be opening wide (2:1-5). Instead of being locked, these hearts need to be