Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 324
Lectionary: 324
Absalom unexpectedly came up
against David’s servants.
He was mounted on a mule,
and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,
his hair caught fast in the tree.
He hung between heaven and earth
while the mule he had been riding ran off.
Someone saw this and reported to Joab
that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
And taking three pikes in hand,
he thrust for the heart of Absalom,
still hanging from the tree alive.
He was mounted on a mule,
and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,
his hair caught fast in the tree.
He hung between heaven and earth
while the mule he had been riding ran off.
Someone saw this and reported to Joab
that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
And taking three pikes in hand,
he thrust for the heart of Absalom,
still hanging from the tree alive.
Now David was sitting between the
two gates,
and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,
where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.
The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,
“If he is alone, he has good news to report.”
The king said, “Step aside and remain in attendance here.”
So he stepped aside and remained there.
When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,
“Let my lord the king receive the good news
that this day the LORD has taken your part,
freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you.”
But the king asked the Cushite, “Is young Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king
and all who rebel against you with evil intent
be as that young man!”
and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,
where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.
The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,
“If he is alone, he has good news to report.”
The king said, “Step aside and remain in attendance here.”
So he stepped aside and remained there.
When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,
“Let my lord the king receive the good news
that this day the LORD has taken your part,
freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you.”
But the king asked the Cushite, “Is young Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king
and all who rebel against you with evil intent
be as that young man!”
The king was shaken,
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!”
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!”
Joab was told that the king was
weeping and mourning for Absalom;
and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army
when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.
and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army
when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.
Responsorial
Psalm86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and
answer me.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
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.
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.”
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.
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!).
Expectant
faith believes in Jesus' power to act in our lives today
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:
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."
The
Lord Jesus will touch each of us with his healing hands of love and mercy
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:
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,
FEBRUARY 4, MARK 5:21-43
Weekday
(2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a; Psalm 86)
Weekday
(2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a; Psalm 86)
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?
Tuesday 4
February 2020
2 Samuel
18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30-19:3. Psalm 85(86):1-6. Mark 5:21-43.
Listen, Lord, and answer me – Psalm 85(86):1-6
‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’
Listen, Lord, and answer me – Psalm 85(86):1-6
‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’
To everyone’s surprise the
lame boy fronted up for the school marathon. Of course, he finished well behind
the other runners. But the school assembled to cheer him home and he was
showered with accolades. The heart of the school was lifted because of his
brave effort.
The words of Jesus Talitha,
kum to the unconscious child must have created incredulous joy in the
hearts of the grieving parents. Fear is a natural human emotion and coping with
chronic pain or chemotherapy can be huge deterrents to clear reason. Rising
through the troughs of fear takes courage and a slice of faith that all will be
well. Give humble thanks to Jesus who knows our fears. ‘Do not fear, just believe’.
As my friend lay dying he
insisted I stay and pray with the loving words of John 14 and I have been
comforted by them so many of my days since. And sometimes the fear comes back,
but I’m getting more faith that I’m in the loving hands of Jesus.
Saint Joseph
of Leonissa
Saint of
the Day for February 4
(January
8, 1556 – February 4, 1612)
 |
| Saint Fidelis of Sigmarigen and Saint Joseph of Leonessa | Giovanni Battista Tiepolo |
Saint
Joseph of Leonissa’s Story
Joseph was born at Leonissa
in the Kingdom of Naples. As a boy and as a student in early adulthood, Joseph
drew attention for his energy and virtue. Offered a nobleman’s daughter in
marriage, Joseph refused and joined the Capuchins in his hometown in 1573
instead. Avoiding the safe compromises by which people sometimes undercut the
gospel, Joseph denied himself hearty meals and comfortable quarters as he
prepared for ordination and a life of preaching.
In 1587, he went to
Constantinople to take care of the Christian galley slaves working under
Turkish masters. Imprisoned for this work, he was warned not to resume it on
his release. He did and was again imprisoned and then condemned to death. Miraculously
freed, he returned to Italy where he preached to the poor and reconciled
feuding families as well as warring cities which had been at odds for years. He
was canonized in 1745.
Reflection
Saints often jar us because
they challenge our ideas about what we need for “the good life.” “I’ll be happy
when. . . ,” we may say, wasting an incredible amount of time on the periphery
of life. People like Joseph of Leonissa challenge us to face life courageously
and get to the heart of it: life with God. Joseph was a compelling preacher
because his life was as convincing as his words.
Lectio
Divina: Mark 5:21-43
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening
prayer
Lord our God,
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
help us to love You with all our hearts
and to love all people as You love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One 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 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.
3)
Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, we
meditate on two miracles which Jesus worked in favor of two women: the first
one for a woman who was considered impure because of the hemorrhage which she
was suffering from for the past 12 years; the other one for a twelve year-old
girl, who had died a short time before. According to the mentality of the time,
anybody who would touch blood or a corpse was considered impure. Blood
and death were factors for exclusion! Because of this, those two women were
marginalized people and excluded from 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 twelve year-old girl.
• The situation of the woman. Twelve years of suffering from hemorrhage! For this reason she lived excluded, because at that time blood rendered people 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 up 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 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 was touching Him and pushing 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, 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 now comes the clash between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a sensitivity which the disciples did not perceive. The disciples reacted like everybody else; they did not understand the different reaction of Jesus. But Jesus did not pay attention and continued to investigate.
• 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 like herself got in among the people and contaminated everyone who touched her. All would become impure before God (Lev 15:19-30). For this reason, the punishment could be stoning. But the woman had the courage to accept the consequences of what she had done. The woman “frightened and trembling” fell at Jesus’ feet and told Him the whole truth. Jesus has 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 through faith became a reality. (c) Jesus acknowledges that, without that woman’s faith, 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 faith is capable of realizing 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!” The people laughed. They know how to distinguish between a person who is sleeping and when the person is dead. It is the same laughter of Abraham and of Sarah, of those who are unable to believe that nothing is impossible for God (Gn 17:17; 18:12-14; Lk 1:37). For them, death was a barrier which nobody could overcome or 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 needed 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, and with the three disciples and the parents of the child.
• The resurrection of the child. Jesus takes the child by the hand and says: “Talitha kum!” She rises. There is a great commotion! Jesus keeps calm and asks that they give her something to eat. Two women are cured! One is twelve years old, the other one twelve years of hemorrhage, 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 twelve year-old girl.
• The situation of the woman. Twelve years of suffering from hemorrhage! For this reason she lived excluded, because at that time blood rendered people 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 up 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 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 was touching Him and pushing 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, 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 now comes the clash between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus had a sensitivity which the disciples did not perceive. The disciples reacted like everybody else; they did not understand the different reaction of Jesus. But Jesus did not pay attention and continued to investigate.
• 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 like herself got in among the people and contaminated everyone who touched her. All would become impure before God (Lev 15:19-30). For this reason, the punishment could be stoning. But the woman had the courage to accept the consequences of what she had done. The woman “frightened and trembling” fell at Jesus’ feet and told Him the whole truth. Jesus has 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 through faith became a reality. (c) Jesus acknowledges that, without that woman’s faith, 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 faith is capable of realizing 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!” The people laughed. They know how to distinguish between a person who is sleeping and when the person is dead. It is the same laughter of Abraham and of Sarah, of those who are unable to believe that nothing is impossible for God (Gn 17:17; 18:12-14; Lk 1:37). For them, death was a barrier which nobody could overcome or 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 needed 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, and with the three disciples and the parents of the child.
• The resurrection of the child. Jesus takes the child by the hand and says: “Talitha kum!” She rises. There is a great commotion! Jesus keeps calm and asks that they give her something to eat. Two women are cured! One is twelve years old, the other one twelve years of hemorrhage, 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
• What 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
From You comes 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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