THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YR B
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30
2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43
DO NOT BE AFRAID, JUST HAVE FAITH
In the fifth chapter of the gospel according to Mark, we read about Jesus’ deliverance of the man possessed with unclean spirits who lived among tombs, the healing of the woman with an issue of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. What is common in these miracles is that they all can be said to be hopeless situations. They are situations that we would give up on because it seems nothing could be done. For this reason, some people call this chapter in the book of Mark, the St. Jude chapter in the New Testament, since he is considered the patron saint of hopeless causes. In all these seemingly hopeless situations, Jesus came through for them. Jesus will come through for us also in all our troubles because our God is able to do more abundantly than we can ask and think (Eph 3:20).
In our gospel today, there are two stories of healing. It begins with Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, who came to Jesus with a plea for him to come and heal his daughter who was not only very ill but was at her end. In other words, she was almost dead. Jesus obliged to go with him and the crowds followed them. On his way, there was a woman in the crowd who had an issue of flow of blood for twelve years. She was not there like others to enjoy the “show”, she was there for an encounter. She had a great desire to encounter the healing power of Jesus. She said to herself, “if only I could touch his garment, I shall be made whole”. She did touch Jesus’ garment, and guess what happened. She was healed instantly. The effect was immediate. So instant that Jesus felt it and asked, “Who touched me?” She came out and told Jesus the whole truth. What whole truth did she tell Jesus?
The truth about her life – how she has bled for twelve years, wasted all her resources on medical treatments, which did not help her in any way, how she has been an outcast socially and religiously for all these years and how in a certain way according to the law she has defiled Jesus by touching him. The whole truth. After this, Jesus looked at her and declared, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease”. By this declaration, Jesus affirmed her faith and complete healing so that she was not only bodily healed but had peace. This peace of Jesus was a restoration of all that she had lost over the years.
It is important to ask ourselves whenever we gather on Sundays as Christians, whether we are ready for an encounter or whether it is merely for the fulfilment of a religious obligation. We must come to Jesus with the whole truth of our lives. No hiding in the crowd, no pretending. We must come with faith in the power of Jesus to heal and make us whole.
At this point, Jairus received the news he dreaded; his daughter had died. And the people asked him, “Why bother the master any further?” Don’t we also encounter some experiences in our lives when we tell ourselves, why bother pray anymore or go to church? How many times have we not resigned ourselves to our fate and give?
But as Jesus encouraged Jairus to keep the faith so should we also keep faith. It is important to pay attention to what Jesus did after this. He did not allow the crowd to follow any longer except his disciples, Jairus and the girl’s mother. In the most difficult moments of our lives we must keep away from those whose presence will not encourage faith. Keep company with only those who believe in the power of Jesus to heal and to save you. Keep company with those who will support you in prayer.
Jesus went and called the dead girl to wake up from death, and she did. Even though it was not added that she rose instantly, that is what happened because he called her as one calls or wakes another from sleep.
These two stories show the power of Jesus over disease and death. Are you suffering from any infirmity, illness or disease, may Jesus heal you even as you read this.
We need faith to draw the healing of Jesus. When the woman touched Jesus, Jesus told her your faith has made you whole. But there are mainly two kinds of faith:
- Intellectual Faith or Intellectual Assent: this refers to knowledge about God and about Jesus. It is the knowledge that comes to you at catechism and from the dogma of the church. This faith makes available to you the fact of what God has done for you through Jesus Christ.
- Trust: Faith, which is trust in Jesus to accept him as our personal saviour. This is the faith that helps us build a personal relationship with God. This faith can be compared to the faith you have in your spouse that he or she will love you always. This kind of faith made Jairius come to Jesus to ask for the healing of his daughter. This faith of Jairius was constant in Jesus even when the daughter transitioned from sickness to death. Through it all, his faith in Jesus was solid. This is the faith we all need today.
One does not know the Lord well enough until one moves from intellectual faith to trusting faith. It is here that one falls in love with Jesus and allows oneself to be loved and healed by Him.
It is this faith that says that everything around me gives me reason to doubt, but I will believe in Jesus.
God bless you.
By Rev. Delight Arnold Carbonu
