“We too can become cutoff from the communication and friendship with God and our brothers and sisters when instead of our ears and tongue, our hearts become blocked.”

Celebrating the Holy Mass in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Sunday (8th September), Pope Francis shared two interpretations of the Gospel of Mark, chapter 7:31-37 where Jesus healed the deaf and mute person.

“In St Marks account there are two things that is emphasized, the distance of the deaf man and the nearness of Jesus.

“Let us reflect on these two features the distance of the deaf man, we see him in a geographical area that we would call in today’s language the periphery. The deaf man was distant, the Pope said, in that he hailed from the Decapolis, a land inhabited by pagans far from the religious centre of Jerusalem.

He was “cut off from the world, isolated, a prisoner of his deaf and mute condition.

“Because of their pagan customs it was considered an impure territory far from God, what is more, this deaf man also experienced another kind of distance, he is far from God and from others because he cannot communicate; he is deaf and unable to hear and he is also mute he cannot speak, he is cutoff from the world, a prisoner in his deaf and mute condition a prisoner that cannot communicate,” Pope Francis added.

Pope Francis said there could also be another interpretation of the deaf man’s situation.

“Indeed, there is a kind of inner deafness and muteness of heart that occurs when we close in on ourselves or shut ourselves from God and others through selfishness, indifference, fear of taking risks or putting ourselves on the line, resentment hatred and the list could go on.

All these, distances us from God, from our brothers and sisters and ourselves and from the Joy of living,” Pope Francis concluded.