TONGUE-TIED
“Some people brought Him a mute who was possessed by a demon.” –Matthew 9:32
In Matthew’s Gospel, we go with Jesus on a miracle and healing tour (Mt 8 and 9). Matthew saves the best till last when Jesus loosens the tongue of a mute by expelling a demon (Mt 9:33). Three chapters later, Matthew recounts the healing and deliverance of another mute (Mt 12:22).
The deliverance of the mute is very important to Matthew because he knows that all of us are tongue-tied by the devil in some way. We may not be able to spontaneously pray, enthusiastically praise, or boldly evangelize. We are like Zechariah during the nine months John was in the womb (Lk 1:20). The devil’s got our tongues. If he controls our tongue, he controls our entire body (Jas 3:2).
The Holy Spirit is poured out to free our tongues so we can pray and praise both in our native language and in the gift of tongues (Acts 2:4). Either the Spirit loosens our tongues and the devil is tied, or our tongues are tied and the devil set free. Our sword against the evil one is the Spirit using our tongues to wield the prophetic Word of God (Eph 6:17). Let’s unsheathe our tongues and attack the gates of hell (Mt 16:18).
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, use my tongue for warfare against Satan.
PROMISE: “Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.’ ” –Gn 32:27
PRAISE: When she was twelve years old, St. Maria Goretti was stabbed to death resisting rape by an eighteen-year-old neighbor boy. While in prison, the boy had a dream of Maria gathering flowers and giving them to him. He repented of his sin and knelt in St. Peter’s Square at her canonization.
