Feria Tertia infra Hebdomadam XI post Octavam Pentecostes (IV Augusti)
Commemoration of St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Marty
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:1–10
“For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures: and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures: and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven…” (vv. 3–5)
St. Paul here reminds the faithful of the very kernel of the Gospel: the death, burial, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not present his own invention but that which he himself had “received” (παρέδωκα), a handing-on of divine truth—traditio in the deepest sense.
St. John Chrysostom notes that Paul, by humbling himself as “the least of the Apostles,” teaches that grace, not human strength, is the foundation of all apostolic labor:
“See how he refers everything to grace, not only his faith, nor only his zeal, but even the very fact of his being counted worthy of the apostolic dignity.” (Homily 38 on 1 Corinthians)
This passage thus exhorts us to two things: fidelity to the unchanging deposit of faith, and humble recognition that every spiritual fruit arises from God’s grace. As St. Augustine writes:
“Whatever good we do, it is He that does it in us; yet it is we also who do it. For we act, but He acts in us so that we may act.” (On Grace and Free Will, 32)
Gospel: Mark 7:31–37
“And they bring to Him one deaf and dumb; and they besought Him that He would lay His hand upon him. And taking him from the multitude apart, He put His fingers into his ears, and spitting, He touched his tongue: and looking up to heaven, He groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened.” (vv. 32–34)
The healing of the deaf-mute is full of sacramental symbolism. Christ touches ears and tongue, and breathes forth a word of power. This miracle is echoed in the Church’s baptismal rite, when the priest touches the ears and mouth of the catechumen, saying “Ephpheta.”
St. Bede the Venerable teaches:
“The ears of his heart were first opened to obey the word, and then his tongue was loosed that he might speak the mysteries of the faith. For thus does every one of us who is healed begin first to work well, and then to teach well.” (Homily on the Gospels, I, 23)
The miracle also reflects the divine pedagogy: Christ takes the man aside, away from the crowd, for true healing requires an intimate encounter with God. St. Ambrose beautifully observes:
“He put His fingers into his ears, because the Spirit of God works by His power, and the divine Word penetrates the secret places of the heart. He touched his tongue with spittle, to make plain that from His very substance flows the gift of speech.” (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, VII, 85)
Thus, today’s Gospel exhorts us to ask the Divine Physician to open our ears to hear His word and to loosen our tongues that we may boldly confess the faith, “according to the Scriptures,” as Paul reminds us.
Commemoration of St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr
The Church today also honors Pope St. Zephyrinus (†217), who, though mocked for simplicity, bore witness to the faith in a time of doctrinal strife and persecution. As St. Jerome records, he steadfastly defended the truth of the Trinity against heresies. His witness harmonizes with both Epistle and Gospel: fidelity to the apostolic deposit and the courage to confess Christ with loosened tongue, even to martyrdom.
Concluding Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst rise victorious over sin and death, and who dost open the ears of the deaf and loosen the tongues of the mute: grant us, through the intercession of St. Zephyrinus, to hold fast to the faith received, and to proclaim it with courage and humility, that Thy grace may not be in vain in us. Amen.