Reflection for Sunday June 30, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 5:21-43

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. 

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 him, “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:

A sick woman wanted to be healed from her sickness, but she was not willing to attend Holy Mass or watch online Holy Mass. She was also not willing to pray to the Lord for healing, pray the Holy Rosary, or read about the miraculous healing ministry of Jesus in the Bible. 

Do you have a prayer before Jesus? Pray for it, never give up, and continue to badger Jesus with your prayer because this is the secret to receiving what you wish for from Him. However, everything must start with faith. Once you begin your interaction with Jesus in faith, everything will simply fall into place, including what you wish for from Him. 

But how can we grow in faith? We should humbly ask Jesus to give su the gift of faith. Not only should we ask Jesus for the gift of faith, but we should also reach out to Him through our prayers, our presence at Holy Mass, and by reading the most precious book of all books, which is the Holy Bible. 

The woman in the Gospel had been bleeding for twelve long years. She went to anyone who could cure her, but to no avail. Then she heard about a healer named Jesus, and from thereon she started to have faith in Him. Her faith was her motivation to reach out to Jesus. She even said to herself, "If only I could touch a portion of His clothes, I would be healed. 

All of us have heard about Jesus, but not all of us are praying for the gift of faith. Not all of us are reaching out to Jesus through our prayers and pious presence at Holy Mass. Not all of us have the habit of reading and reflecting on the words of Jesus in the Bible. 

Some of us may even say, "I’m very busy. I have no more time to do these acts of faith." How then can we grow in faith? How then can we be friends with Jesus? How then can we receive healing from Jesus if we do not give a little of our precious time to the Lord? 

If we want an increase of our faith and if we want to get healed by Jesus we have to give Him even a little of our precious time. 

Do we still give time to the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas