One element of the rite of Baptism echoes the miracle that Jesus worked in the Decapolis for a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. The priest or deacon uses the Aramaic word that Jesus said, “ephphatha,” translated as “be opened,” as he touches the ears and mouth of the neophyte. The prayer said during the ritual calls the newly baptized to have ears open to the word of God and a mouth willing to proclaim God’s praises. “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” While that is an essential aspect of the life of a baptized Christian it is only half the story underlying the miracle of Jesus. Besides hearing the word of the Lord a Christian must also hear “the cry of the poor,” as Psalm 34 puts it. And singing the praises of God includes speaking to a weary world a prophetic word “that will rouse them” as the prophet Isaiah. Our ears and mouth are made to connect what is happening in this world with the ongoing message of God’s love for the people of God.
