Sometimes, God’s sense of humor is hard for me to ignore. When I opened my Bible to begin penning this reflection in a quiet adoration chapel, it took all my strength to muffle the involuntary giggle that arose. Why would I find the Gospel heading, “Jesus Cures the Deaf Man” humorous? I was struck by the fascinating “godincidence,” as I am the mother of a child who is deaf.

There has been many a Good Friday, as we venerated the Cross, that my family and I have wondered if my daughter would return to the pew miraculously able to hear. Please don’t get me wrong, we love her just as she is, and she is the first to tell you this is how God created her and that she loves being deaf! It is not that we want to change her, but being able to hear would make some things much more accessible. Learning about her Catholic faith would be one world we’d love more open to her, and that is precisely the blessing behind the deaf man’s miracle.

Today’s story of healing goes far beyond providing this man the ability to enjoy listening to singing birds or smooth jazz! No, the greatest gift here is Jesus giving this man the ability to hear the Word of God. He now had the chance to grow in his knowledge of the Messiah, to discover the blessing of living a life yoked to the man who had just healed him, and more importantly, who longed to heal his soul. This life of faith is what Jesus wants for all of us, for our eyes and ears to be open to hearing the Good News and to focus our hearts toward heaven. There are enormous blessings available to everyone who is open to the grace of God, which brings me to why I chose to write for this day in the first place.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  While we don’t know the exact date of Mary’s birthday, the Church recognizes that her life is definitely worth celebrating! No one’s ears are open wider than Mary’s! This woman pondered God’s Word in her heart, which allowed her the courage to answer “yes” when the Angel Gabriel asked her if she would allow the Holy Spirit to overshadow her and bring the Savior of the World. That was the power of grace overflowing and active in her life!

A little aside: this day was chosen to celebrate Mary’s birthday because the early Eastern Church began its Church year in September. This date also helped determine the Church’s  celebration of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. Mary’s birth is truly a joyous moment and is considered “the dawn of our salvation.” (see Marialis Cultus by Pope Paul VI). Though it may not be her real birthday, I don’t think anyone would take issue with you if you celebrated this momentous day with a cake! 

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A veces, me resulta difícil ignorar el sentido del humor de Dios. Cuando abrí mi Biblia para comenzar a escribir esta reflexión en una capilla de adoración silenciosa, requirió toda mi fuerza para amortiguar la risa involuntaria que surgió. ¿Por qué me parece tan gracioso el título del Evangelio, “Jesús cura al sordo”? Me sorprendió la increíble “coincidencia” divina, ya que soy madre de una niña sorda.