Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. (Mark 7: 31-35)

To be open is to be vulnerable. To be open is to invite change. To be open is to hear and empathise, even when we may be frightened.

We often prefer to be closed, separated, and - we hope - protected. But certainly over the long-term and often in the near term this separation actually increases our vulnerability.

The Canaanite woman asked Jesus to be open to her. Jesus tells the deaf ears to open. If I would listen more carefully I would often hear Jesus sighing and telling me "ephphatha."

Above is a piece from the Hollow Man series by Robert Motherwell.