Having cleansed foods and thereby abolished many of the ritual purity laws that served to separate Jew and Gentile, Jesus intentionally travels into Gentile territory. He performs several miracles like the one recounted in our Gospel. Exploring the healing of the deaf man we discover an explicit link with the prophecies of Isaiah that allude to an ingathering of the Gentiles and mincing Jesus' words and actions we uncover both Sacramental and New Creation themes, themes that point back to the beginning of Genesis and that help us to recognize the many graces God showers upon us even now!