At the conclusion of the liturgy of baptism the celebrant performs the rite of Ephphetha by touching the lips and ears of the newly baptized while saying: “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.” This recalls the gospel scene where Jesus says the healing word and performs the healing action to cure a deaf man who had a speech impediment. Jesus was not Miracle Max going around doing arbitrary healings. Rather, all of his efforts were geared toward helping the people (us) to hear the word God speaks to us, a word of hope, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, love, and to speak that same word to those who are woven into our lives.
