At that time: Jesus, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
St. Gregory the Pope
What signifieth it that God, the Maker of all, in this healing of the man, did put his fingers into the ears of the afflicted one, and did spit, and touch his tongue with the spittle?
St. Gregory the Pope
What signifieth it that God, the Maker of all, in this healing of the man, did put his fingers into the ears of the afflicted one, and did spit, and touch his tongue with the spittle?
What is figured by the fingers of the Redeemer, but the gifts of the Holy Ghost? Hence it is written by the Evangelist St. Luke that once, after he had cast out an evil spirit, he said: If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you: which words are thus given by the Evangelist Matthew thus: If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. By setting these two passages together we see that the Spirit is called the Finger of God. For our Lord, then, to put his fingers into the deaf man's ears was by the gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten his dark mind unto obedience.
What signifieth it also that he spat and touched his tongue? We receive somewhat out of the Redeemer's mouth upon our tongues when we receive wisdom to speak God's truth. Spittle is a secretion of the head which floweth into the mouth. And so it is that Wisdom, which is himself, the great Head of his Church, as soon as it hath touched our tongue, doth straightway take the form of preaching. And looking up to heaven, he sighed: not that he had any need to sigh unto his Father, for this same gave him whatsoever he asked: but he was fain to teach us to look up and sigh toward him whose throne is in heaven, thus confessing our need that our ears should be opened by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our tongue loosed by the gift from our Saviour's mouth, (that, is, by knowledge of his divine word,) before we can use it to preach to others.
And he said unto him: Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed. Herein we must remark that the command: Be opened: was addressed to the deaf ears, but that the dumb tongue also was immediately loosed. Just so, when the ears of a man's heart have been opened to learn the obedience of faith, the string of his tongue also is thereupon loosed, that he may exhort others to do the good things which himself doeth. It is well added: And he spake plain. He only doth well preach obedience to others who hath himself first learnt to obey.
What signifieth it also that he spat and touched his tongue? We receive somewhat out of the Redeemer's mouth upon our tongues when we receive wisdom to speak God's truth. Spittle is a secretion of the head which floweth into the mouth. And so it is that Wisdom, which is himself, the great Head of his Church, as soon as it hath touched our tongue, doth straightway take the form of preaching. And looking up to heaven, he sighed: not that he had any need to sigh unto his Father, for this same gave him whatsoever he asked: but he was fain to teach us to look up and sigh toward him whose throne is in heaven, thus confessing our need that our ears should be opened by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our tongue loosed by the gift from our Saviour's mouth, (that, is, by knowledge of his divine word,) before we can use it to preach to others.
And he said unto him: Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed. Herein we must remark that the command: Be opened: was addressed to the deaf ears, but that the dumb tongue also was immediately loosed. Just so, when the ears of a man's heart have been opened to learn the obedience of faith, the string of his tongue also is thereupon loosed, that he may exhort others to do the good things which himself doeth. It is well added: And he spake plain. He only doth well preach obedience to others who hath himself first learnt to obey.
