This coming Sunday we celebrate the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time. The language and the story support the conclusion that at one time the man was hearing-enabled and used a working vocabulary.  Had he been deaf from the beginning there would not have been a post-healing note: “he spoke plainly.” Which perhaps makes his situation even more poignant, one which calls out to our compassion. We can each imagine having hearing and communication taken away from us, severing the social fabric of our lives. We all know some people that are gifted and have “ a way with words.” Pheme Perkins [613] shares some final thoughts on hearing and speech. Continue reading →