Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to
the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the
sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he
fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the
point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and
live. He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon
him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages
for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had
spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had
heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow
of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out
from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and
trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to
her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your
affliction.”
While he was still speaking, people from
the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why
trouble the teacher any longer? Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He
did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the
brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he
caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them, “Why this
commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed
him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and
those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the
child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I
say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked
around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one
should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
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Reflection:
If faith is all that we have, we must hold on to it and never ever let go
of it for it will save us. It will cure us if not physically it will certainly
cure us spiritually and it will give us hope.
In the gospel we have two stories of faith: Jairus whose daughter has
died; he went to Jesus with faith. He begged Jesus to go to his house and cure
his dying daughter. There is also this hemorrhaging woman she
went up to Jesus and with great faith she touched the end of His clothes.
Both Jairus and the sick woman got what they wanted from Jesus because
they both had faith. Indeed, faith is the secret formula in having what we want
from Jesus.
But how can we have faith when we don’t have a regular prayer life? How
can we have faith when we treat Jesus like a medicine that we only get in touch
with when we are in dire need of him? How can we have faith when we seldom
attend Holy Mass? How can we have faith when we rarely read our
bible? How can we have faith when we are so taken by the things of this
world?
Therefore, detachment from this world and attachment to Jesus is the key
for us to have faith. Would you be willing to slowly detach yourself from this
world and begin as well to attach yourself to Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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