Reflection Date: February 13, 2026 Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19, Mark 7:31-37
Children of God: One of the places Jesus went to was Decapolis.
It was not a single city but a group of ten cities located east of the Sea of Galilee. These cities were largely Greek in culture and language, shaped by Roman influence.
Take note: these cities were centers of trade, philosophy, and pagan worship rather than Jewish religious life.
Because of this, Decapolis was considered Gentile territory.
The people there lived outside the religious customs of Israel. Yet it was also a place of movement, connection, and diversity. Roads linked the cities, allowing ideas and cultures to mix.
Jesus’ presence in Decapolis already signaled something unusual.
It showed openness beyond familiar borders. Decapolis represented the wider world beyond Israel.
In the gospel story of Mark, Jesus passed through the region of Decapolis (Mark 7:31).
People brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment (Mark 7:32). Jesus took him aside, touched his ears and tongue, and looked up to heaven (Mark 7:33–34).
With the word “Ephphatha,” the man’s ears were opened and his speech was restored (Mark 7:34–35). The crowd was astonished and said that Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute speak (Mark 7:37).
Take note again: this healing happened in Gentile territory, among people considered outsiders.
What are our inspirations for today?
First, healing often begins when someone is brought closer rather than left alone.
The man did not come to Jesus by himself; others brought him (Mark 7:32). Community played a role in his healing. Concern moved people to act, not to judge.
Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd (Mark 7:33). This gesture respected his dignity and privacy. Healing required personal attention, not spectacle.
Today, this invites reflection on how we respond to those who struggle to communicate or belong. We are called to bring people closer to healing spaces, not push them further away.
Second, God restores communication so people can fully rejoin life and community.
When Jesus opened the man’s ears and loosened his tongue, isolation ended (Mark 7:35). Hearing and speaking restored relationship.
Healing was not only physical but social.
The crowd’s amazement showed how transformation affects more than one person (Mark 7:37).
When one life is restored, many are moved. God’s work always radiates outward!
This challenges us to ask where communication is broken today. God continues to invite openness, listening, and truthful speech. Restoration happens when hearts, not just mouths, are opened.
Children of God: The gospel shows that God meets people even beyond familiar borders. Healing reaches places considered distant or different.
We are invited to notice those who struggle to be heard. We are called to bring them closer, not leave them behind.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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