Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest
Lectionary: 324
Lectionary: 324
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 22:26B-27, 28 AND 30,
31-32
R. (see 27b) They
will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
AlleluiaMT 8:17
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 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.
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.
Meditation: The woman who took heart in Jesus
Do you approach the Lord
Jesus with expectant faith or with skeptical doubt? People in desperate or
helpless circumstances were not disappointed when they sought Jesus out. What
drew them to Jesus? Was it hope for a miracle or a word of comfort in their
affliction? What did the elderly woman who had suffered miserably for twelve
years expect Jesus to do for her? And what did a grieving father expect Jesus
to do for his beloved daughter who was at the point of death? Jesus gave hope
where there seemed to be no human cause for it because his hope was directed to
God. He spoke words of hope to the woman (Take
heart, daughter!) to ignite the spark of
faith in her (your faith has made you well!).
Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD), an early church
Scripture scholar and author of hymns and commentaries, reflected on the
miracle of the woman who was healed of her flow of blood:
"Glory to you, hidden Son of God,
because your healing power is proclaimed through the hidden suffering of the
afflicted woman. Through this woman whom they could see, the witnesses were
enabled to behold the divinity that cannot be seen. Through the Son's own
healing power his divinity became known. Through the afflicted women's being
healed her faith was made manifest. She caused him to be proclaimed, and indeed
was honored with him. For truth was being proclaimed together with its heralds.
If she was a witness to his divinity, he in turn was a witness to her faith...
He saw through to her hidden faith, and gave her a visible healing."
Jesus also gave
supernatural hope to a father who had just lost a beloved child. It took
considerable courage and risk for the ruler of a synagogue to openly go to
Jesus and to invite the scorn of his neighbors and kin. Even the hired mourners
laughed scornfully at Jesus. Their grief was devoid of any hope. Nonetheless,
Jesus took the girl by the hand and delivered her from the grasp of death.
Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD), an early church father who was renowned for his
preaching at Ravena, comments on this miracle:
"This man was a ruler of the
synagogue, and versed in the law. He had surely read that while God created all
other things by his word, man had been created by the hand of God. He trusted
therefore in God that his daughter would be recreated, and restored to life by
that same hand which, he knew, had created her... He [Jesus] who laid hands on
her to form her from nothing, once more lays hands upon her to reform her from
what had perished."
In both instances we see
Jesus' personal concern for the needs of others and his readiness to heal and
restore life. In Jesus we see the infinite love of God extending to each and
every individual as he gives freely and wholly of himself to each person
he meets. Do you approach the Lord with confident expectation that he will hear
your request and act?
"Lord Jesus, you love each of us individually
with a unique and personal love. Touch my life with your saving power, heal and
restore me to fullness of life. Help me to give wholly of myself in loving
service to others."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The long-suffering of parents, by Peter
Chrysologus (400-450 AD)
"Let us, if it is pleasing to you, speak for a
moment of the pains and anxieties which parents take upon themselves and endure
in patience out of love and affection for their children. Here, surrounded by
her family and by the sympathy and affection of her relations, a daughter lies
upon her bed of suffering. She is fading in body. Her father's mind and spirit
are worn with grief. She is suffering the inward pangs of her sickness. He,
unwashed, unkempt, is absorbed wholly in sorrow. He suffers and endures before
the eyes of the world. She is sinking into the quiet of death... Alas! why are
children indifferent to these things! Why are they not mindful of them? Why are
they not eager to make a return to their parents for them? But the love of
parents goes on nevertheless; and whatever parents bestow upon their children,
God, the parent of us all, will duly repay." (excerpt from SERMON 33.2)
[Peter Chrysologus,
400-450 AD, was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century]
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, MARK 5:21-43
(Hebrews 12:1-4; Psalm 22)
(Hebrews 12:1-4; Psalm 22)
KEY VERSE: "Fear is useless; what is needed is trust" (v 36).
TO KNOW: In the midst of a busy day of ministry, Jesus received two urgent requests for healing. The first appeal came from Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, who pleaded with Jesus to come to his house and heal his critically ill daughter. While Jesus was on his way, a woman with a hemorrhage followed him, hoping to be cured. Although her condition prohibited her from having contact with anyone (Lv 15:19), she reached out in desperation and touched the hem of Jesus' garment. In an instant, a surge of power went out from Jesus and the woman was healed. Jesus assured the frightened woman that her faith had made her whole. At that moment, Jairus was informed that his daughter had died. Jesus told the distraught father not to be afraid, but to have faith. When they arrived at Jairus' home, Jesus sent the mourners away and entered the house. Taking the little girl by the hand, he raised her to new life.
TO LOVE: When I need healing, do I plead like Jairus or reach out in silence like the woman?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to encourage others to come to you for healing?
Memorial of Saint John Bosco,
priest
John Bosco was ordained in 1841. He worked with youth, finding places where they could meet, play and pray. He taught catechism to orphans and apprentices and was a chaplain in a hospice for girls. John wrote short treatises aimed at explaining the faith to children, and then taught children how to print them. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in 1859, priests who work with and educate boys under the protection of Our Lady, Help of Christians, and Saint Francis de Sales. He founded the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians in 1872, and the Union of Cooperator Salesians in 1875. Don Bosco's method of study involved observance of rules by instilling a true sense of duty, by removing all occasions for disobedience, and by allowing no effort toward virtue to pass unappreciated. He held that the teacher should be father, adviser, and friend, and he was the first to adopt the preventive method rather than punishment. He wrote: "As far as possible avoid punishing . . . try to gain love before inspiring fear." At the time of Don Bosco's death in 1888 there were 250 houses of the Salesian Society in all parts of the world, containing 130,000 children.
Tuesday 31 January 2017
Tue 31st. St John Bosco. St John Bosco.
Hebrews 12:1-4. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you—Ps 21(22):26-28,
30-32. Mark 5:21-43.
'Who touched me?'
Lord, why did you make such a fuss about
that poor, frightened woman touching the hem of your cloak? Didn't she have a
good enough reason to be healed on the quiet? It was against the law for her to
be in a public place with her complaint since people regarded such a
haemorrhage as a punishment for sin.
She would have felt so ashamed that she couldn't come and ask you to heal her in the open.
Sometimes we can come to prayer with this attitude—getting in some intentions hoping for a quick result, thinking that a few 'Our Fathers' will do the trick.
But seeking healing and praying are more than that, no matter how urgent the need might be.
Is it that we sometimes want you to help us, without letting you be our friend?
She would have felt so ashamed that she couldn't come and ask you to heal her in the open.
Sometimes we can come to prayer with this attitude—getting in some intentions hoping for a quick result, thinking that a few 'Our Fathers' will do the trick.
But seeking healing and praying are more than that, no matter how urgent the need might be.
Is it that we sometimes want you to help us, without letting you be our friend?
ST. JOHN BOSCO
On Jan. 31, the Roman
Catholic Church honors St. John Bosco (or “Don Bosco”), a 19th century Italian
priest who reached out to young people to remedy their lack of education,
opportunities, and faith.
John Bosco was born in
August of 1815 into a family of peasant farmers in Castelnuovo d'Asti – a place
which would one day be renamed in the saint's honor as “Castelnuovo Don Bosco.”
John's father died
when he was two years old, but he drew strength from his mother Margherita's
deep faith in God.
Margherita also taught
her son the importance of charity, using portions of her own modest means to
support those in even greater need. John desired to pass on to his own young
friends the example of Christian discipleship that he learned from his mother.
At age nine, he had a
prophetic dream in which a number of unruly young boys were uttering words of
blasphemy. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appeared to John in the dream,
saying he would bring such youths to God through the virtues of humility and
charity.
Later on, this dream
would help John to discern his calling as a priest. But he also sought to
follow the advice of Jesus and Mary while still a boy: he would entertain his
peers with juggling, acrobatics, and magic tricks, before explaining a sermon
he had heard, or leading them in praying the Rosary.
John's older brother
Anthony opposed his plan to be a priest, and antagonized him so much that he
left home to become a farm worker at age 12. After moving back home three years
later, John worked in various trades and finished school in order to attend seminary.
In 1841, John Bosco
was ordained a priest. From that time, John was known as “Don” Bosco, a
traditional Italian title of honor for priests. In the city of Turin, he began
ministering to boys and young men who lived on the streets, many of whom were
without work or education.
The industrial
revolution had drawn large numbers of people into the city to look for work
that was frequently grueling and sometimes scarce. Don Bosco was shocked to see
how many boys ended up in prison before the age of 18, left to starve
spiritually and sometimes physically.
The priest was
determined to save as many young people as he could from a life of degradation.
He established a group known as the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, and became
a kindly spiritual father to boys in need. His aging mother helped support the
project in its early years.
John's boyhood dream
came to pass: he became a spiritual guide and provider along with his fellow
Salesian priests and brothers, giving boys religious instruction, lodging,
education, and work opportunities. He also helped Saint Mary Dominic Mazzarello
form a similar group for girls.
This success did not
come easily, as the priest struggled to find reliable accommodations and
support for his ambitious apostolate. Italy's nationalist movement made life
difficult for religious orders, and its anti-clerical attitudes even led to
assassination attempts against Don Bosco.
But such hostility did
not stop the Salesians from expanding in Europe and beyond. They were helping
130,000 children in 250 houses by the end of Don Bosco's life. “I have done
nothing by myself,” he stated, saying it was “Our Lady who has done everything”
through her intercession with God.
St. John Bosco died in
the early hours of Jan. 31, 1888, after conveying a message: “Tell the boys
that I shall be waiting for them all in Paradise.” He was canonized on Easter
Sunday of 1934, and is a patron saint of young people, apprentices, and
Catholic publishers and editors.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK
5, 21-43
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
help us to love you with all our hearts
and to love all men as you love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
on God, for ever and ever. Amen.
help us to love you with all our hearts
and to love all men as you love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
on God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 5, 21-43
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake.
Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing him, fell
at his feet and begged him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is
desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she may be saved and
may live.' Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were
pressing all round him.
Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking, 'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.'
And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?' His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?"' But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. 'My daughter,' he said, 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.'
While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?' But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.' And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.' But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.' The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment, and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking, 'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.'
And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?' His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?"' But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. 'My daughter,' he said, 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.'
While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?' But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.' And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.' But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.' The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment, and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we meditate on two
miracles which Jesus worked in favour of two women. The first one for a woman
who was considered impure because of the haemorrhage which she was suffering
from for the past 12 years. The other one, for a girl, twelve years old, who
had expired a short time before. According to the mentality of the time,
anybody who would touch the blood or a corpse was considered impure. Blood and
death were factors of exclusion! Because of this, those two women were
marginalized persons, excluded from the participation in the community.
• The starting point. Jesus arrives in the boat. The people join him. Jairus, the head of the Synagogue, asks help for his daughter who is dying. Jesus goes with him and the people accompany him, pushing on all sides. This is the starting point of the two cases of healing which follow: the cure of the woman and the resurrection of the 12 year old girl.
• The situation of the woman. Twelve years suffering from haemorrhage! For this reason she lived excluded, because at that time, blood rendered persons impure, and the one who touched them became impure also. Mark says that the woman had spent all she had with doctors. And instead of becoming better, she got worse. A situation without a solution!
• The attitude of the woman. She heard people speak about Jesus. Hope sprang in her. She told herself: “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be saved”. The catechism of the time said: “If I touch his cloak, he will become impure”. The woman thinks exactly the contrary! This is a sign that women did not agree with all this that religious authority taught. The woman gets in through the crowd, in the midst of the people, and without being noticed, she touches Jesus, because everybody touched him and pushed him. At that same moment she noticed in her body that she had been cured.
• The reaction of Jesus and that of the disciples. Jesus also aware of the power that had gone out from him asked: “Who touched my clothes?”. The disciples said to him: “You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, who touched me?” So here appears the clash between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a sensibility which the disciples did not perceive. The disciples reacted like everybody else and they did not understand the different reaction of Jesus. But Jesus did not pay attention and continued to investigate, to inquire.
• Healing through faith. The woman became aware that she had been discovered. It was a difficult and dangerous moment for her. Because according to the belief of the time, an impure person, who like herself got in among the people, contaminated everyone who touched her. And all would become impure before God (Lv) (Lk 15, 19-30). For this reason the punishment was the possible stoning. But the woman had the courage to assume the consequences of what she had done. But the woman “frightened and trembling” fell at Jesus’ feet and told him the whole truth. Jesus says the last word: “My daughter, your faith has restored you to health, go in peace and be free of your complaint”.
(a) “Daughter”, with this word Jesus accepts the woman into the new family, into the community, which was gathering together around him. (b) What she thought became a reality. (c) Jesus acknowledges that without the faith of that woman, he would not have been able to work the miracle.
• The news of the death of the little girl. At that moment some people arrived from the house of Jairus to inform him that his daughter had died. It was no longer necessary to disturb Jesus. For them, death was the great barrier. Jesus will not be able to overcome death! Jesus listens, looks at Jairus, and applies what he had just seen, that is, that faith is capable to realize what the person believes. And he says: “Do not be afraid, only have faith!”
• In Jairus’ house. Jesus allows only three of his disciples to go with him. Seeing the commotion of the people weeping and wailing because of the death of the child, he said: “The child is not dead, she sleeps!” People around laughed . People know how to distinguish when a person is sleeping and when the person is dead. It is the same laughter of Abraham and of Sarah, that is of those who are unable to believe that nothing is impossible for God (Gn 17, 17; 18, 12-14; Lk 1, 37). For them also, death was a barrier which nobody could overcome, go beyond! The words of Jesus had a very profound meaning. The situation of the persecuted communities at the time of Mark seemed to be a situation of death. They had to hear: “She is not dead! You are sleeping! Wake up!” Jesus does not pay attention to the laughter and enters into the room where the child is, alone, with the three disciples and the parents of the child.
• The resurrection of the child. Jesus takes the child by the hand and says: “Talita kum!” She rises. Great commotion! Jesus keeps calm and asks that they give her something to eat. Two women are cured! One is twelve years old, of life, the other one twelve years of haemorrhage, twelve years of exclusion! The exclusion of the child begins at twelve years of age, because her menstruation begins, she begins to die! Jesus has the greatest power and resurrects: “Get up!”
• The starting point. Jesus arrives in the boat. The people join him. Jairus, the head of the Synagogue, asks help for his daughter who is dying. Jesus goes with him and the people accompany him, pushing on all sides. This is the starting point of the two cases of healing which follow: the cure of the woman and the resurrection of the 12 year old girl.
• The situation of the woman. Twelve years suffering from haemorrhage! For this reason she lived excluded, because at that time, blood rendered persons impure, and the one who touched them became impure also. Mark says that the woman had spent all she had with doctors. And instead of becoming better, she got worse. A situation without a solution!
• The attitude of the woman. She heard people speak about Jesus. Hope sprang in her. She told herself: “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be saved”. The catechism of the time said: “If I touch his cloak, he will become impure”. The woman thinks exactly the contrary! This is a sign that women did not agree with all this that religious authority taught. The woman gets in through the crowd, in the midst of the people, and without being noticed, she touches Jesus, because everybody touched him and pushed him. At that same moment she noticed in her body that she had been cured.
• The reaction of Jesus and that of the disciples. Jesus also aware of the power that had gone out from him asked: “Who touched my clothes?”. The disciples said to him: “You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, who touched me?” So here appears the clash between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a sensibility which the disciples did not perceive. The disciples reacted like everybody else and they did not understand the different reaction of Jesus. But Jesus did not pay attention and continued to investigate, to inquire.
• Healing through faith. The woman became aware that she had been discovered. It was a difficult and dangerous moment for her. Because according to the belief of the time, an impure person, who like herself got in among the people, contaminated everyone who touched her. And all would become impure before God (Lv) (Lk 15, 19-30). For this reason the punishment was the possible stoning. But the woman had the courage to assume the consequences of what she had done. But the woman “frightened and trembling” fell at Jesus’ feet and told him the whole truth. Jesus says the last word: “My daughter, your faith has restored you to health, go in peace and be free of your complaint”.
(a) “Daughter”, with this word Jesus accepts the woman into the new family, into the community, which was gathering together around him. (b) What she thought became a reality. (c) Jesus acknowledges that without the faith of that woman, he would not have been able to work the miracle.
• The news of the death of the little girl. At that moment some people arrived from the house of Jairus to inform him that his daughter had died. It was no longer necessary to disturb Jesus. For them, death was the great barrier. Jesus will not be able to overcome death! Jesus listens, looks at Jairus, and applies what he had just seen, that is, that faith is capable to realize what the person believes. And he says: “Do not be afraid, only have faith!”
• In Jairus’ house. Jesus allows only three of his disciples to go with him. Seeing the commotion of the people weeping and wailing because of the death of the child, he said: “The child is not dead, she sleeps!” People around laughed . People know how to distinguish when a person is sleeping and when the person is dead. It is the same laughter of Abraham and of Sarah, that is of those who are unable to believe that nothing is impossible for God (Gn 17, 17; 18, 12-14; Lk 1, 37). For them also, death was a barrier which nobody could overcome, go beyond! The words of Jesus had a very profound meaning. The situation of the persecuted communities at the time of Mark seemed to be a situation of death. They had to hear: “She is not dead! You are sleeping! Wake up!” Jesus does not pay attention to the laughter and enters into the room where the child is, alone, with the three disciples and the parents of the child.
• The resurrection of the child. Jesus takes the child by the hand and says: “Talita kum!” She rises. Great commotion! Jesus keeps calm and asks that they give her something to eat. Two women are cured! One is twelve years old, of life, the other one twelve years of haemorrhage, twelve years of exclusion! The exclusion of the child begins at twelve years of age, because her menstruation begins, she begins to die! Jesus has the greatest power and resurrects: “Get up!”
4) Personal questions
• Which is the point in this text which
pleased you or struck you the most? Why?
• One of the women was cured and once again integrated so that she could live in the community. A child was raised from her death bed. What does this action of Jesus teach us for our life in the family and for our community today?
• One of the women was cured and once again integrated so that she could live in the community. A child was raised from her death bed. What does this action of Jesus teach us for our life in the family and for our community today?
5) Concluding Prayer
Of you is my praise in the thronged
assembly,
I will perform my vows before all who fear him.
The poor will eat and be filled,
those who seek Yahweh will praise him,
'May your heart live for ever.' (Ps 22,25-26)
I will perform my vows before all who fear him.
The poor will eat and be filled,
those who seek Yahweh will praise him,
'May your heart live for ever.' (Ps 22,25-26)
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