Posted by The WORD in other words (2006) by Fr Bernard Collera SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Friday 5th Week in Ordinary Time
Why are many deaf people also mute? The answer is simple: because they cannot hear. Speech develops from what we first perceive through hearing. Without auditory input, spoken language is extremely difficult to acquire.
My first encounter with the deaf was in 1995, after returning from mission work. I quickly realized that not all deaf individuals are completely unable to speak. Some manage to produce speech, though often with a higher pitch or unusual intonation. Those who are profoundly deaf often resist being labeled “deaf,” since they have never experienced hearing in the first place. Degrees of hearing loss vary: some are mildly deaf, others moderately, and some even pretend not to hear — the so‑called “selectively deaf.”
Training in sign language usually includes lip‑reading. If you observe closely, you’ll notice that deaf people often focus intently on the speaker’s lips. This is why many prefer to be described as “seeing people.” Their primary mode of communication with us is sign language.
To get their attention in a crowd, one might gently toss a small object, like a crumpled piece of paper, into their visual field. They are remarkably skilled at tracing the direction of such signals. Though they may face physical limitations, their ways of perceiving the world are simple yet profound, and they often display a heightened sensitivity toward others.
The Gospel presents Jesus healing a man who was both deaf and mute. Brought to Him by the people, this man received from the Lord the dignity that belongs to him as a beloved child of God. From the depths of his heart, he must have understood the compassion of Christ. Notice how Jesus chose very concrete gestures to heal him: not simply laying His hands upon him, but leading him away from the crowd, placing His fingers in his ears, touching his tongue with His own spittle, and finally speaking the powerful word: Ephphatha! — “Be opened!”
The deaf man could see all of these actions. What a profoundly personal encounter this must have been — so moving that neither he nor the onlookers could remain silent about it. Would that we, too, offer understanding to those who are deaf in our midst, so that they may share with us what they experience in life and faith.
They are part of the Christian community. May we include them in our prayers and liturgies, so that they may also proclaim — even through sign language — the glory of God among us. Perhaps it is time we begin learning sign language ourselves, so that we can truly communicate with them and walk together as one body in Christ.
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