Daily Mass Readings – Friday, 11 February 2028

29 So it came to pass at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahias the Silonite, clad with a new garment, found him in the way: and they two were alone in the held.

30 And Ahias taking his new garment, wherewith he was clad, divided it into twelve parts:

31 And he said to Jeroboam: Take to thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes.

32 But one tribe shall remain to him for the sake of my servant David, and Jerusalem the city, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:

12:19 And Israel revolted from the house of David, unto this day.

R. (11a and 9a) I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.

10 There shall be no new god in thee: neither shalt thou adore a strange god.

11ab For I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.

12 But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.

13 So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.

R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.

14 If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:

15 I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.

R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

14b Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

31 And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

32 And they bring to him one deaf and dumb; and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him.

33 And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue:

34 And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened.

35 And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right.

36 And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it.

37 And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

The divided kingdom in the first reading reveals what happens when God’s people stop listening to his voice and follow the inventions of their own hearts. The psalm makes the same point with a tender warning: the Lord has already rescued his people, yet they refuse to hear him. Their wandering begins in closed ears.

Into this reality Jesus comes, taking the deaf man aside and saying, “Be opened.” He does more than restore physical hearing and speech. His action shows the mercy of God, who reaches into our places of silence and resistance so that we can receive his word and speak rightly. The man’s healing becomes a sign of what Christ desires for every disciple: ears attentive to God and a tongue freed for truthful praise.

Listening to the Lord requires more than hearing Scripture or religious words. It means allowing his voice to correct our desires, heal our divisions, and guide our choices. Before we speak about God, we need to let Christ open us to God. A quiet moment with the Gospel, followed by honest obedience to what we hear, can become a real beginning.

Lord Jesus, open my ears to hear the Father’s voice above the noise of my own desires. Touch the places in me that resist your truth, and loosen my tongue so that my words may bring praise, honesty, and peace. Keep me from creating my own path while ignoring your commandments. Give me a listening heart, humble enough to be corrected and ready to obey what you reveal. Heal the divisions that grow when people refuse your voice, and make my life a quiet witness that you do all things well. Amen.