They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
˜ Mark 7:37
As part of my training for the ordination process, I worked as a chaplain intern in a large hospital for nine months. Over the course of those months, I often reflected on how a hospital is a place where people of all faiths, economic backgrounds and cultures live under one roof. As a Christian chaplain, I had to learn ways of relating to all the patients I visited, despite our superficial differences.
When I was called to the bedside of a man who was dying, I looked at the religious affiliation in his chart and saw that he was Muslim. I immediately thought, "Uh oh. This guy does not want a Christian chaplain to visit him." When I arrived at the bedside, the man's son, daughter-in-law and toddler grandson were there. Despite my fear of offending or upsetting them, they welcomed me. They even trusted me to babysit their adorable toddler while they called friends and family. In that place of healing, there were no walls between us.
Today's reading from Mark contains two stories of healing. Jesus casts a demon out of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter, then heals a man who was deaf and mute.
The woman is not Jewish, so Jesus tells her that his miracles and teachings are not for "the dogs," code for those who are not God's chosen people. She persists in her pleas, though, and Jesus grants her request, saying, "For saying that, you may go — the demon has left your daughter." The deaf-mute man is part of the chosen people, but he is an outsider because he is perceived as defective and sinful because of his physical imperfections. Jesus does not refuse to heal either of these people Instead, he shows us the real meaning of God's Law.
Reflect: How can you find common ground with those who are different from you or who may be considered "outsiders" in a social setting?
This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development