The prayer that Jesus uttered over the deaf man in Sunday’s Gospel is His ardent desire for all of us: that by being open to His Word we might be liberated from our sins and walk in freedom as the sons and daughters of God. We echo this prayer when we make the sign of the cross over our forehead, lips, and heart as the Gospel is proclaimed, praying that God’s powerful Word might always be in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts.

We pray together: St. Jude, be my guardian. Help me be open to God’s Word and to reflect it in my daily life.