Reflection on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“ Here comes your God . . . who comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared.”

In recent months, my ears and eyes have been opened to things that I wish I had perceived 60 years ago. The same is true for most of us who have watched the unfolding of Black Lives Matter on our TV screens and read extensively about white supremacy, slavery and the caste system that we all live with consciously or unconsciously. Lynching of African-Americans was still happening in our lifetimes with white men, women and children watching, not in horror, but with approval. It was their entertainment for the day, and they had pictures taken of themselves beside the hanging body. I had no idea that that was taking place as late as 1942. History has been rewritten to omit the horrors of slavery and our treatment of Native Americans. Unfortunately, our history books still omit that aspect of the United State’ story, and some parents object to it becoming a part of the curriculum. Truth doesn’t seem to be important.

In Germany, there are plaques placed in public places all over the country, each with the name of a Jewish person(s) who died during the Holocaust. These serve as constant reminders of what happened and what the German people never want to see happen again. There are no such reminders in our own country, and we move along ignoring the past until the horror of George Floyd or Briana Taylor shows up on the evening news to open our eyes and ears. It has also opened us up to see the deep division in our country and the prejudice to any minority group: Jews, Latinos and Asian-Americans.

There is a temptation to say I’m old and I can’t do anything about the situation. I’ve said it myself – I’m glad I am this age because I don’t have to deal with what might be coming. That’s negative thinking on my part. I can sign my name, I can read and learn about the suffering of other people, I can pray and hold them in my heart. Prayer sends out positive vibes that do help to heal.

I have never forgotten a study that I read about which took place in 1998 in Washington D.C. The crime rate had been steadily rising that year and there was great concern about it. A World Peace Group decided on a campaign of prayer to lower the crime rate. It was an experiment on the effectiveness of prayer. There were about 4,000 participants. They predicted that after two months the crime rate would drop as much as 20 percent. The chief of police scoffed at the idea saying that only a severe snowstorm (in the hot summer months) would slow the crime rate. The group started their experiment on June 7 and continued until July 30. The crime rate dropped 23.3 percent below the predicted rate. The statistical probability of that happening is two in 1 billion. Why haven’t we listened to that study? It seems to have been a one-time experiment.

In Matthew’s Gospel, this event is the first of two healings, the deaf-mute man we heard about today and following it, restoration of sight to  a blind man. Jesus took both men aside and healed them privately, warning them not to tell anyone. Of course, they could not keep it hidden. I feel that this has happened in my life as well, both through public events and private reading and discussion. My eyes and ears have been opened, and I see things differently, and I suspect that has happened to each of us. We, too, cannot keep it hidden any longer. In whatever way we can, we need to make the truth known.

Our country grew on the backs of the slaves. We acquired the land by killing or driving the Native Americans away. We talk about making reparation. The way I can make reparation is by changing myself to see and hear more clearly and to remain faithful to the little things I can do, especially prayer.

In “I Am The Way,” Article 41, we read, “The Spirit of God is not bound; it reveals itself in the lives of everyone. Even as we give to others, we acknowledge our need to learn from those to whom we are sent.”The Spirit is at work, waking us up to a history that was immoral and unjust. May we continue to have our ears and eyes opened to the work of the Spirit in our lives.