Watchword: Isaiah 42:3  A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

Old Testament prophet Isaiah chapter 29:17-24  In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?  ¹⁸ In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.  ¹⁹ Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.  ²⁰ The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down–  ²¹ those who with a word make a man out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.  ²² Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale.  ²³ When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.  ²⁴ Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”

The Epistle is from Acts 9:1-9  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest  ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the evangelist St. Mark 7:31-37  Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.  32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.  33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).  35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.  36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.  37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”