Reflection for February 3 Tuesday of the Fourth Week 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 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:

Sickness and death are words that we are afraid to hear, much less experience. Who among us wants to get sick, and who among us wants to die? No one, because we all desire to enjoy the life that God has given us. Yet physical death, brought about by our human nature, is a certainty of life that none of us can escape. It will visit each one of us one day, because physical death is part of the natural process of life here on earth.

But there is another form of death that is far more dangerous. This is called spiritual death. It is something the devil continually tries to lure us into. The evil one tempts us to commit sin, and if we are not watchful and prayerful, we may fall into this trap. This can result in our separation from the love of God unless we humbly return to Him and submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), where His mercy and forgiveness are always waiting for us.

In the Gospel, we encounter a sick woman with great faith. She longed to touch even just the tassel of Jesus’ clothes because she believed that the moment she did, she would be healed of her sickness. So, while Jesus was passing by, she reached out in faith, touched His clothes, and immediately she was healed.

Jesus felt that power had gone out of Him, so He asked the crowd, “Who touched my clothes?” Upon hearing this, the woman fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And Jesus, full of compassion and love, said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

Many people were touching Jesus at that time, yet He did not feel power leave Him. Why was it different when this woman touched Him? It was because she reached out not just with her hands, but with her heart. She was in deep need of healing. She had living faith. She believed with all her heart that Jesus would heal her the moment she touched Him.

There will come moments in our lives when we, too, will be in need of Jesus’ healing—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. When those moments come, may we never doubt the power of our Lord to heal, restore, and make us whole again. May we learn to reach out to Him not only in words, but in deep faith, trust, and surrender.

Are we merely close to Jesus in presence, or are we truly reaching out to Him in faith, trusting that He alone can heal and restore our lives? — Marino J. Dasmarinas