If we try to put ourselves in the place of the man in today’s Gospel, I think we can begin to appreciate his predicament. The man was deaf. To try to imagine what that means, to be cut off entirely from the whole world of sound. In a moment of danger, a human voice could not warn him. In a time of sorrow, a human voice could not console him. The laughter of children, the conversations of friends, the joy of music, these are not a reality for him. As a consequence of his deafness he could not speak plainly, for he could not hear himself. He lived in a world almost completely cut off from the people with whom he lived.

We can understand, then, the joy of his enthusiasm when Jesus cured him. What a great day that was for him. Do you think that he ever forgot as long as he lived? Even the bystanders were so impressed that the gospel says, their amazement knew no bounds. It is only natural that we should take for granted our ability to hear and our ability to speak. It is natural, but it is not right. These are great powers for which we must be grateful, and the best way to be grateful for is the power that God intended. The power to speak is one of the faculties, which separates us from animals. Our speech and our hearing are meant for something even higher than human communication. They are also our means of communicating with God.