“And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened’” — Saint Mark 7:34

In the Gospel of Saint Mark, chapter 7, people bring to Jesus a man who cannot hear and can barely speak. He lives in a world half-closed—unable to fully receive words and unable to fully express himself. But Jesus does something intimate and unusual. He takes the man aside from the crowd, touches his ears, touches his tongue, and then looks to heaven and sighs before saying, “Ephphatha—Be opened.”

Christ does not shout from a distance. He draws near. The healing begins with personal attention. The sigh of Jesus reveals the sorrow of God over the brokenness of creation. Deafness, silence, suffering—these are not how the world was meant to be. Yet with one word, the barrier breaks. The ears open. The tongue loosens. A life once closed begins to participate again in the music of the world.

This miracle speaks to more than physical healing. Many of us live with spiritual deafness. We hear the noise of the world but struggle to hear the voice of God. Our tongues are quick with opinions but slow with praise, kindness, and truth. Christ still speaks “Be opened.” As Saint John Chrysostom teaches, “Christ opened the ears of the body to show that He also opens the ears of the heart.” When the heart opens, we begin to hear grace and speak mercy.

Today, let Christ touch the places that are closed. Let Him open our ears to His word and loosen our tongue to speak life.