Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you! Another Miracle of Jesus!

Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you! We are reminded in Isaiah and in the second reading and Gospel, that God is there for us, we need to be strong and fear not, He will heal us, He hears us. He comes to save us, through Jesus His son! I love Isaiah, one of my favorite books, it foretells that of Mark's story about how Jesus can perform miracles and help us to hear, to speak, He can heal us and He can save us! Praise the Lord, my soul! In James we are reminded that we do not have to be rich in this world to be recognized, Jesus gives us a rich faith in Him, that is better, being poor does not make us second class citizens to His city in Heaven, we are heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those who love Him! What a blessing! Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people! Jesus performs another miracle! Miracles from God! He is still doing this today. We need to turn from sin and egocentricity and turn to Him, not follow idols. We need to believe, have hope, have faith and believe and know God is with us now. We need to be strong and fear not. Our vindication and salvation come from Jesus, all we need to do is follow Him, reflect Him, and imitate Him! We can be saved in Christ! Stir up the glory of God in your lives! Open your hearts to the power of God in you! Jesus is the only one who can bring lasting peace and unity.  Let His fountain spring forth in you! Be strong, fear not! 

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Thus says the LORD:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2

James 2:1-5
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please, ”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?

Alleluia
Cf. Mt 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 7:31-37
Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”