Sickness and death have a way of shearing through the veneer of our self-importance and social status. These things touch us at our most vulnerable point. Sickness and death strip us of our illusions and remind us that, no matter how important we are in the eyes of others, we are still human—still very limited and transient citizens here on earth.
Notice the brutal directness used by those telling Jairus about his daughter’s death—you’ve no need to trouble the Master any more, she’s dead. They are like the apostles in the boat, who doubt Jesus’ ability to calm the storm.
Michel DeVerteuil
General Comments
Today’s gospel comprises two distinct stories with no particular connection between them so you should decide to meditate on one or the other.
– there is the raising of Jairus’s daughter to life, which by a peculiar arrangement is told in two separate sections (verses 21 to 24, and 35 to 43);
– and there is he healing of he woman with the haemorrhage (verses 25 to 43).
Remember that the miraculous cures by Jesus, while they record historical facts, are also lessons in how God works and invites us to enter with gratitude into his work of grace in our own lives and in the world today.
Scripture Prayers
Lord, we thank you for Alcoholics Anonymous;
this great organization reminds us that to experience resurrection
from the dead, all of us, even if we are important officials,
we have to come to the point where we are no longer in control
and fall at the feet of someone greater than ourselves, pleading for help
and allowing ourselves to be carried along by a community.
Lord, we thank you for the great moments of grace in our lives:
– we had struggled for years to give up a relationship that was harming us;
– we went through months of depression;
– we wanted very much to forgive but hurt was still eating us up.
We tried all kinds of remedies, got advice from many people,
without getting any better; in fact we were getting worse.
But there came a time when somehow or other
we knew deep down that all we needed was a little push,
a wise word, someone praying for us, a liturgy –
and sure enough, it happened.
It was all so simple that people around us could not understand,
but we were able to come forward, frightened and trembling
because we knew what had happened,
and we humbly told the whole truth. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, it sometimes happens that we help people without realizing it.
Some word we say, some gesture we make, and they are deeply touched.
At such times we tend to be condescending toward the people we helped.
We pray that we may be more like Jesus,
so that when we become aware of what has happened
we speak gently to them, encourage them to tell their story,
assure them that it was their faith that restored them to health,
and help them to go in peace, fully free of their complaint,touched by God himself.
Lord, we pray for leaders, in our country and in the world,
leaders of church and civil communities,
especially those whose communities are disillusioned or in despair.
As they go along, they will hear some people telling them
that things are too far gone
and there is no point putting themselves to further trouble;
they will see people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly,
and if they say that the community is not dead but merely sleeping,
many will laugh at them.
But they must ignore all these voices
and surround themselves with people of faith and love,
so that they can take their communities by the hand
and tell them to get up and walk.
Lord, we thank you for kind, practical people like Jesus,
people who, when others are weeping and wailing unrestrainedly,
can see that the one being mourned is not dead but asleep,
and who, when others are all excited that a great miracle has been worked,
will tell them not to talk about it,
but to give the person healed something to eat.
*************************************
Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration
Every Sunday is a little ‘Easter Sunday’: because Jesus rose on Sunday, triumphant over death, we gather on Sundays. We gather to rejoice and celebrate his meal: he died, yet he lives; he has departed from us, yet also he is here among us.
To celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead is to celebrate that in him is our victory over suffering, pain, and death itself.
In proclaiming that the Father raised Jesus from the dead, we are stating our conviction that all those parts of life that strike us as absurd and destructive are not part of the Father’s will for us:
death is not of God’s doing, and the Father has sent among us a healer who restores us to the fullness of life.
Jesus is risen, Jesus is amongst us, let us rejoice.
Note: The alternative form of the Opening Prayer (‘Father in heaven … ‘) is more appropriate today.
Homily Notes
1. The simple didactic homily has been the bed-rock of preaching down the centuries. In the last few decades it has fallen into an unmerited obscurity partly because the meditation / reflection sermon has gained a new prominence, partly because the ‘challenge of discipleship’ style has been seen as a way of showing up the radical nature of the gospel, and partly as we have moved to more exegetical style homilies. Today, we have a very structured unit of Mark’s preaching and it was formulated by him with close attention to how fear acts on us as human beings. Because it grasps attention so well, it can be followed with a little bit of didache such as this:
2. This story makes visible for us three of our basic beliefs as disciples of Jesus.
First, that the Son of God, the Lord is one with us, he knows ‘from the inside our fears’ and anxieties, our needs, our nature. God, for us Christians, is not thought of as some far-off energy or power, he has come close to us in a human individual: Jesus.
We can paraphrase the creed like this:
• For us human beings and our health and well-being
• he has come down from heaven,
• and by the power of the holy Spirit has become a man
• who was named Jesus.
Jairus and that woman — both making requests of Jesus because of their desperate situation — are typical of all of us who call upon him in our need.
We believe that Jesus is with us and one with us, we call on him for mercy and healing and forgiveness.
We acknowledge Jesus as
• the one who brings us healing: we call him ‘the divine physician’
• the one who brings us forgiveness: we call him ‘our redeemer’
• the one who brings us peace: we call him ‘the prince of peace.’
That is why we who are his disciples get involved with:
• helping and caring for the sick
• promoting understanding and reconciliation
• working as peace makers.
Third, Jesus is the one who has risen from the dead and shares his resurrection with us.
Jesus has conquered sin and death:
• that is why we are the people of the resurrection
• that is why we gather on Sunday to celebrate
• that is why we are the people of the good news.
***************************************************
Sean Goan
Gospel Notes
There are two miracle stories in this quite long extract from Mark and they demonstrate an important theme and characteristic of this gospel. The first thing we notice is that the story of the raising of the daughter of Jairus begins the sequence, but then is cut off as we consider the woman with the haemorrhage. It is sometimes referred to as a sandwich technique and it is a characteristic of Mark, used to hold our interest as he develops an idea by means of two different stories.
It quickly becomes apparent that the overarching theme is the need for faith. In the story of the woman, her willingness to trust in Jesus is total but by contrast the people in the house of Jairus laugh at him when he suggests the child is only asleep. Jesus tells the woman who touched him that her faith made her well, and to the people announcing the news of the death of the little girl he says: ‘Do not be afraid, only have faith.’ We have only already learned through the preaching of Jesus and his parables that the kingdom is present in his ministry and that it is both a gift and a challenge. Living by faith is the challenge but it is also the way to healing and new life for those who embrace the message with trust and confidence.
Reflection
*****
The chronically ill woman is so convinced that Jesus not only can help her but will help her that she fights her way through the pushing and shoving crowds just to touch the cloak of Jesus. She realizes not only the power of Jesus to heal her but the depth of his love and compassion to want to heal her. Her faith is rewarded.
Jairus was a man of considerable authority and stature in the Jewish community. Yet, for the sake of his daughter, he puts aside his pride and his instinctive distrust of an “anti-establishment” rabbi like Jesus and becomes a “beggar” for her before Jesus. Despite the ridicule of the mourners and the depth of his despair, Jesus is Jairus’ hope.
Jairus’ love for his daughter enables him to risk his considerable standing in the community to approach the controversial rabbi Jesus. Through such complete and unconditional love – like the love of God our Father for us, his children – we can lift up the fallen, heal the sick and suffering and restore life to the dead.
The sick woman realizes not only the power Jesus possesses but also the depth of his compassion and love for her. To possess her depth of faith compels us to seek God and realize God's presence – especially when God seems most absence.
The hemorrhaging woman counts for little in the social structure of her time; her problems and illness elicit neither concern nor care from those around her. Her hemorrhages, in fact, mark her as unclean, someone to be avoided. But the “power” of Jesus transcends the woman’s isolation. Our embracing of that same compassion and peace enables us to seek out the needy, the lost and despairing in our midst.
A 'driving-purposed' life
As a young woman, she prayed that God would give her a grand purpose in life.
God answered by giving her two daughters and a set of car keys. "Drive," God said.
And drive she did. In her red Ford Tempo, she drove her girls and their friends everywhere - to the mall and to volleyball practice. To softball games and the mall. To youth group at church and the mall. To the beach. To Taco Bell. To school. To the mall.
It was either she drive them or risk them finding rides with someone's sister's boyfriend. As long as her daughters and their myriad of friends were in the backseat of her car with her at the wheel, she would know where they were.
And she loved it. It actually proved to be quite educational - she learned she could be invisible. The girls would pile into her car and start talking about stuff girls talk about, which meant boys and other girls. You can learn a lot by being invisible. During her years of driving girls, her car was used as a cafeteria, a beauty parlor, a dressing room, and sometimes as a confessional and a sanctuary.
Something amazing happened when her little red Tempo filled with girls.
God entered.
Did the girls ever realize God in the car? Sometimes, she thinks: every once in a while they would ask her a question about God, about faith, about Ouija boards, about levitating. They discussed Buddhism, paganism and Marilyn Manson. And there were times when they even prayed out loud together.
Not long ago, the mother of her daughter's childhood best friend called to thank her for what she had done for her daughter Kelly, who died from leukemia at the age of 21. Kelly's mom was thanking her for much more than providing car service for Kelly.
Now that her daughters are grown, she misses her "driving-purposed" life. It was mundane and ordinary, yet incredibly holy.
[From “A driving-purposed life” by Nancy Kennedy, Catholic Digest, April 2009.]
Moms and Dads know that parenthood is a full-time vocation that demands everything we have and are for the sake of the children who depend on them. Jairus, in today’s Gospel, is a model of such dedicated parenthood. As a leader of the synagogue, Jairus is an establishment figure, to be sure - but grasping at one last thread of hope to save his daughter, Jairus’ love for her enables him to risk his standing in the community to plead with the controversial rabbi to work one more miracle. Through such complete and unconditional love – like the love of God the Father for us, his sons and daughters – we can lift up the fallen, bring healing to the suffering, and restore life to the dead.
****
Illustrations:
Fr. Jude Botelho:
Today's first reading ponders over the human condition. Surely God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living, he does not desire the death of human beings. Yes, we all know our limits, we know that all men die and that death entered the world due to sin. But God is stronger than death and those who believe in Him can hope for life, new life in this world and in the next. Our hope arises from the fact that we are made in the image of God who is the giver of life. But do we nurture life, do we collaborate with God or do we expect Him to do everything for us without fulfilling our part?
Today's gospel describes the healing power of Jesus as he reveals God's power at work restoring life and health through his healing touch. Both the faith of the woman suffering for twelve long years, and the faith of Jairus who was about to lose his daughter are stressed. Both incidents have much to teach us about faith helping us to go beyond. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus begging for a cure for his daughter. Jairus' request showed that he believed that Jesus possessed a supernatural power. He came in humility and Jesus acceded to his request and set out for his house. While they were on their way the news came that his daughter had died. The messengers suggest that there was no point in troubling Jesus; the case was hopeless. But neither Jairus nor Jesus gives up. Jesus encourages Jairus, "Don't be afraid; only believe." Jesus goes into the child's room with the parents and taking the girl by her hand raises her to life. "Little child I say to you arise." And the child arose and began to walk. The same Jesus brings healing to the woman who suffered for twelve long years, who believed she would be healed if she touched the hem of his garment. But Jesus did not want it to be a quick-fix magical affair. He seeks her from the crowd, and points to her faith. "Your faith has healed you." God can come into our life even through what we consider insignificant and dirty -the hem of the garment!
"I only have a small pan!"
God always answers our prayers
Receiving in giving
Merchant of death or life?
Story to heal
"Illnesses exist to remind us that we are not made of wood!"(Van Gogh). A painful experience causes us to reflect on our lives, and teaches us to be compassionate towards other sufferers. Compassion is not learnt without suffering.
May we receive life and healing in giving more and more of ourselves to others!
*********
1: “Do not be afraid; just have Faith.”Ann
Jillian, a three-time Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning
actress and singer, is an American actress
born to Lithuanian Roman Catholic immigrant
parents. Since 1985, she has added motivational speaking to her impressive list
of credits, addressing business, medical, professional and women’s groups with
her own unique blend of humor and inspiration. Her prowess extends from the
world’s concert halls, to feature film and the Broadway stage. She has
starred in over 25 TV movies and made hundreds of other TV appearances. Her TV
movie, The Ann Jillian Story, which recounts her victory over
breast cancer, was the #1 film of that TV season, but, more important, it
delivered Ann’s message about the hopeful side of breast cancer to its millions
of viewers. It was in 1985 that the then 35-year-old actress made
headlines when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On her
way to the hospital to check the nature of the growth which she had
noticed, she stopped at St. Francis de Sales Church and read the
inscription on the door. “The same everlasting Father who cares for you
today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you
from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace
then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” She went
into the Church and prayed for the strength to accept her ordeal. The radiant
trust in God and peace of mind she maintained before and after the surgery
(double mastectomy), was big news in the media and a great inspiration for all
cancer patients. She trusted in Jesus’ words given in today’s Gospel, “Do
not be afraid; just have Faith.” Actually, this phrase is repeated in
the Bible 365 times. [Source:
www.believersportal.com/list-365-fear-not-bible-verses/] Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2: Each patient carries his own doctor inside himself: The
great missionary physician, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, said it simply and
realistically: “Each patient carries his own doctor inside himself. They come
to us [physicians] not knowing that truth. We are best when we give the doctor
who resides within each patient a chance to work.” — Are you giving the “doctor
who resides” within you the chance to work? Are you giving the “doctor who
resides” within your spouse, your child, your significant other, the chance to
work? Here is a little self-administered test from a study by Dr. Carl
Simonton. Answer these questions, yes or no. Do you have a tendency to hold
resentment? Yes or no. Would you rather carry a grudge than forgive? Yes or no.
Would you rather cry in self-pity than invite a friend out for dinner? Yes or
no. Do you have a problem developing and maintaining long-term relationships?
Yes or no. Do you have a low self image? Yes or no. If you answer with more
“yeses,” by Dr. Simonton’s test study, you are not giving the “doctor who
resides within” you the best chance to work. A “yes” means you are most
vulnerable to illness. (Adapted from Bruce Larson, There is a Lot More
to Health Than Not Being Sick, pp. 138-139.) Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3: Widow of Dr. Martin Luther King: The whole world was saddened when Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died in a medical clinic in Mexico. What was she doing in Mexico? It’s simple. Doctors in the United States had told her they could do no more for her. The clinic in Mexico offered hope. That hope may have been an illusion, but who can blame her? We’ll do anything for hope. Ask someone who has been in chronic pain and has discovered that even the finest medical professionals don’t have a clue about how to stop their pain. Many of these sufferers will go to any lengths to find someone who can give them relief. Wouldn’t you? — The woman with chronic hemorrhage in today’s first Gospel story, comes to Jesus with trusting Faith. She has heard that this is the physician she has been looking for. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4: Healed by laughter: “A cheerful
heart is good medicine” (Prv 17:22). In the 1300’s, surgeon, Henri de
Mondeville reportedly told jokes to his patients in the recovery room.
Laughter exercises the face, shoulders, diaphragm, and abdomen. When the
breathing deepens, the heart rate rises, and the blood takes up and
transports more oxygen. Endorphins are released, pain thresholds are raised,
and some studies suggest that even our immune systems are boosted. When we
laugh, others laugh too. — Laughter is a contagious, highly effective, non-prescription
medicine. It has no side effects, and no one is allergic to it. Have we
had our dose of laughter today? We can use the tool of humor to induce laughter
for our health, healing and general sense of well-being. We can even spend time
in daily practicing our laughing out loud – maybe by smiling first, then
leaning into a giggle, and then in outright belly laughs!
5: “I’m on disability!” A deaf man, a blind man
and a disabled man heard a rumor that God had come down to a Church in the
village to heal the sick. They all went to find out if it was true. God signed
to the deaf man, “Can I help you, son?” The man signed back that he would be so
happy if he could hear again. God touched the man and suddenly he could hear.
God then touched the blind man and he was able to see. The third man was
sitting in his wheelchair with his mouth wide open in amazement. God looked at
the man and asked him what he wanted. The man drew back and yelled, “Don’t lay
one finger on me! I’m on disability!”
6: A pastor joke: One Sunday at Mass as the priest was giving his homily, a little baby in the front row suddenly started crying loudly. The mother did her best to pacify the child, but nothing worked. So finally, she got up and started to walk down the aisle to take the baby into the cry room. The priest stopped his preaching, and very compassionately called out to the mother, “That’s OK! You don’t have to leave. The child isn’t disturbing me.” The young woman turned around and said, “No, pardon me Father, but you’re disturbing my child!”
18- Additional anecdotes
1) “This is where I found Christ.” Here is a
beautiful old story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It tells how, in later
years, he rose early every morning and left his house. His wife, curious,
followed him one morning. At the town well he filled a bucket… and he walked
until he came to a sycamore tree. There, setting down the bucket, he began to
clean away the stones, the branches, and the rubbish from around the base of
the tree. Having done that, he poured water on the roots and stood there in
silence, gently caressing the trunk with both of his hands. When his amazed
wife came out of hiding and asked what he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply,
“This is where I found Christ.” I can just imagine that for the rest of their
lives, that woman who touched the tassel of Jesus’ robe that day on the street…
and the daughter of Jairus who was raised up in that room in her home,
continually brought people back to those sacred spots and said, “This is where
I found Christ! This is where Christ loved me into life!” — Do you have a
sacred spot like that? This is the Good News of our Christian Faith, isn’t it!
Love has the power to heal, to reconcile, and to redeem. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2) Healing touch: Studies at the University of
California-Los Angeles Medical Center; Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kansas;
and Scott and White Clinic, Temple, Texas, have shown that hugging communicates
tenderness, gentleness, caring-ness –behaviors essential for healing of both
body and soul. Hugging, they say, relieves many physical and emotional
problems, helps people live longer, maintains health, relieves stress, and
promotes sleep. The studies also show that hemoglobin, the portion of blood
that carries oxygen, increases significantly when people are touched. There’s
your answer for those who say the Peace Exchange is artificial! And it
certainly gives husbands and wives, parents and children, and significant
others good reason to hug and hug and hug! – Jesus believed in and made good
use of, the essential healing touch, even when someone else, believing, did the
touching, for that touch drew out Divine Power, power, and virtue, and brought
healing to the one who had reached out in Faith for it. — Let’s remember that.
It’s a good reason to keep human touch on a high level. Keep in touch with
Jesus by Faith and you’ll feel power and newness flowing into and through you.
There is healing in the touch! Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3) Physical touch made the difference: The
Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once had a fascinating experiment. They
identified a group of crib babies who did not cry. Let me explain. It seems
that babies cry because they instinctively know that that is the way to get
attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies, however, had been
in abusive situations. Their parents let them cry for hours on end and never
responded. Do you know what happened? The babies eventually quit crying. It was
almost as though they knew that it was not worth trying. So the Menninger
Institute came in for an experiment. They got some people from retirement and
even nursing homes, and every day these people held these babies and rocked
them. The object was to get these children to start crying again. And you know,
it worked. Physical touch had made the difference. — Today’s Gospel tells us
how Jesus’ touch healed a woman and resuscitated a girl. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) “It was a good day for me”: There is a story
about the fourth-century Greek “Cynic Philosopher,” Diogenes of Sinilope. On a
voyage to Aegina, he was captured by pirates and sold as a slave in Crete. As
he gazed at the bystanders who were bidding for him, he looked at a man and
told the pirate chief, “Sell me to that man because he needs a master.” The man
who bought him was a Corinthian by name Xeniades. “What is your trade?” asked
Xeniades. “The only trade I know is that of governing men by teaching them the
art of virtuous self-control,” replied Diogenes. Xeniades was so impressed by
his philosopher-slave that he promptly handed over to him the management of his
household and the education of his children. “It was a good day for me,” Xeniades
used to tell his friends, “when Diogenes entered my household.” — Jairus, the
father of the girl Jesus raised from death, as described in today’s Gospel,
must have given a better compliment to Jesus in expressing his commitment to
Jesus and Faith in his Divinity. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
5) Jesus Christ the healer: There was a
television program hosted by Barbara Walters sometime back, on which she
interviewed three celebrities: Johnny Carson, Johnny Cash, and Walter Cronkite.
According to one viewer, Johnny Carson came across as the typical jaded playboy
hedonist. Everything he said telegraphed the fact that he was living for
pleasure, but, having tried everything and been everywhere he was fed up with
the whole thing. Walter Cronkite was the suave humanist, the worldly
philosopher. Now retired and wealthy, he was enjoying life as best he could. He
was looking at life rather philosophically, but all he really was saying was,
“That’s the way it is!” Johnny Cash, on the other hand, admitted his background
of alcoholism and drug addiction and the fact that he had virtually destroyed a
marriage and wrecked his life. But he openly said he had found Jesus. There was
peace in his eyes and contentment in his voice. Cash spoke of a hope for the
future which neither of the others had. http://www.pbc.org/dp/stedman/john/3848.html).
— No doctor could have healed Johnny Cash. Only Christ could do that. Only
Christ can heal a broken marriage. Only Christ can heal broken relationships
within a family. Only Christ can give us hope when everyone else is telling us
that there is no hope to be found. Only Christ can deliver us from sin. Only
Christ can save us – if we choose to be saved. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
6) “He is Jesus Christ”: Lloyd Ogilvie, former
pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church and a popular speaker and writer, once
spoke at a large convention. The woman who introduced him began by saying, “We
have a very unusual privilege tonight. In our midst is without a doubt the
world’s finest communicator. He is extremely sensitive, alert, compassionate
and wise. He can sense a person’s true needs immediately and speak just the
right word to heal a hurt.” Dr. Ogilvie later confessed that he felt both
flattered and frightened. How could he live up to all that? He didn’t have to.
For as the woman came to the end, she said, “We are in for a tremendous
experience tonight because this supreme Lover of people is in our midst. Who is
He? He is Jesus Christ. And now here is a man named Lloyd Ogilvie who will tell
us about Him” (Rev. Dave Wilkinson). — Jesus is the Supreme Lover of people.
“He can sense a person’s true needs immediately and speak just the right word
to heal a hurt.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
7) The Sequoia trees of California tower as much
as 300 feet above the ground. Strangely, these giants have unusually shallow
root systems that reach out in all directions to capture the greatest amount of
surface moisture. Seldom will you see a redwood standing alone, because high
winds would quickly uproot it. That is why they grow in clusters. Their
intertwining roots provide support for one another against the storms. — When
WE gather together, we provide similar support. Pain and suffering and illness
come to all of us. But, just like those giant Sequoia trees, we can be
supported in those difficult times by the knowledge that we have one another;
we are not alone. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
8) “The child is not dead but asleep.” Martin
College in Pulaski, Tennessee has one of the oldest cemeteries in the state in
Pulaski, dated back to 1810-1850. They have made a park of it and placed all of
the tombstones where they can be easily read. It is heart-wrenching to see that
one out of three graves is that of a child, a stark reminder of the incredible
infant mortality rate in those rugged days. But I noticed something else. On
almost every tombstone of a child, there is chiseled on the bottom of the stone
Jesus’ words: “The child is not dead but asleep.” It was then that
I realized how many tens of thousands of parents throughout the last 2,000
years have taken so much comfort from these words. These are words of hope. Fr.
Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
9) “Aren’t you glad I walk with the Lord, Earl?” Pat
Kelly, a major league outfielder in the ’70s, was a born-again Christian. One
day Pat said to his manager, Earl Weaver, “Aren’t you glad I walk with the
Lord, Earl?” Weaver replied, “I’d rather you walked with the bases loaded.”
When one football coach was asked about his offensive team’s execution he
replied, “I’m all for it.” — Sports are popular because they are a metaphor for
our life experience. You win some, you lose some. Sometimes you feel like the
champion of the world. Sometimes you just feel beaten up. “I’m sometimes up and
I’m sometimes down,” says the old spiritual, “sometimes I’m almost to the
ground.” And we’ve been there. And so have the people who trek across the pages
of our Bible. Our lesson for today is about two people who felt beaten up. One
was a righteous Jew named Jairus whose daughter was dying. The other heartsick
person in our story is a woman who had been ill for twelve years with an issue
of blood that doctors couldn’t cure. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
10) “What is the healthiest hour of the week?” : Dr.
Granger Westberg, the founder of Wholistic Medicine, Inc., Chicago, Illinois,
asks this question when he talks to nurses, doctors, and pastors: “What is the
healthiest hour of the week?” How would you answer that question? Dr. Westberg
surprises many people by answering, “The hour of worship on Sunday morning.”
Why is that true? In order to answer that question we need to consider two
other questions which Dr. Westberg often puts to his audiences: (1) What is the
major factor in sickness? and (2) What is the major factor in health? How would
you answer those questions? One medical study shows that the major cause of
sickness is desiring revenge. Dr. Westberg quotes a survey of stroke patients
most of whom admitted that there was someone against whom they felt a
significant desire for revenge. In many cases, that desire for revenge is a
repressed feeling, an attitude instead of an expressed action. That same
medical study shows that the major factor in staying healthy is gratitude. —
The ancient psalmists had the right idea: “Praise is comely for the upright.”
Worship at its best offers the opportunity to resolve conflict through
forgiveness and to express feelings of gratitude through praising God for His
acts of grace and mercy. At its best, the Church is a healing community. The
Church can only be at its best when the members center on and conform
themselves to Jesus, the Healer as described in today’s healing stories. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
11) Christians are called to be compassionate, “wounded
healers.”
Perhaps Henri Nouwen, the Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone
else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as “wounded
healers” who have compassion. Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a
distance. It is condescending. Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for
superiors to give to inferiors. Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the
rich to continue in their status over the poor. Compassion is born of God. It
means entering into the other person’s problems. It means taking on the burdens
of the other. It means standing in the other person’s shoes. It is the opposite
of professionalism. It is the humanizing way to deal with people. “Just as
bread without love can bring war instead of peace, professionalism without
compassion will turn forgiveness into a gimmick.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
12) Transformer of sufferings into a life with purpose: Once
the people of Chile and Argentina argued over the boundary between their two
countries. Later, they agreed to live at peace and erected a statue to remind
them of that agreement. The Argentine sculptor melted down cannons from his
country’s army to form a statue of Christ. It stands today in the Andes
Mountains on the border between the two countries. One hand of Christ holds a
cross while the other is raised in a blessing. For Christ is that agent of
transforming power who changes hostilities into peace, injustices into
brotherhood, and sufferings into a life with purpose. — We can look forward to
the continuation of that power in his world beyond our boundary, as well. Healing,
knitting together fragile bits of our fractured bodies and souls, remains God’s
most basic on-going creative work in the cosmos. While God continues to
intervene as Divine Physician, He has already provided us with a universal
vaccine for our ills in the principle of love and the person of Jesus Christ.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
13) “That’s it!” “That’s what, Leigh?” Tim
Hansel tells about a special friend of his who suffers from severe cerebral
palsy. She telephoned Tim one day and asked, “What does it mean for a horse to
be handicapped!?” Tim answered, “Well, Leigh, they usually handicap the
strongest horse by adding a little extra weight to make the race more fair.”
“Yeah, I know!” said Leigh. “Then what does it mean if you handicap a golfer?”
Tim said, “The poorer the golfer, the higher the handicap.” “Yeah, I know!”
Leigh said again. “And what does it mean . . .” They explored a number of
sports with the same conclusion. There was a long pause. Finally Leigh said,
“That’s it!” “That’s what, Leigh?” Tim asked. “That’s it!” Leigh said, “That’s
why God gave me such a big handicap . . . because I’m so special!” [Keep On
Dancin‘, (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Family Publishing, 1995), p. 110.]
— To a great extent, life is a matter of chance willed by God. A certain number
of people will be stricken with cerebral palsy. Leigh just happened to be among
the unlucky. God does not choose people to suffer from problems like cerebral
palsy; He permits it for His own reasons, always salvific. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
14) “Your Faith has made you well.” The advent
of genuinely science-based medicine at the dawn of the 20th-century had, we
thought, reduced illness to a collection of bothersome bacteria and other
microscopic marauders. Being sick was no longer anyone’s “fault”; it was no
longer a sign of weakness, sin, or Divine displeasure. Sickness was brought on
by outside invaders that broke down our body’s natural defenses. We had only to
find the right “magic bullet,” we thought, and all ills could be cured. Now,
everything is our own fault again. Our inability to handle stress effectively
clamps down our colon. A love affair with cream cheese and pepperoni pizza
clogs our arteries. Curling up with a good book instead of hitting the
stair-master has made our muscle tone horribly off-key and our cardiovascular
system out of breath. Everything that operates at a less than perfect level is
held up to us as evidence of yet another sin we have committed in our lives. —
When Jesus’ healing power wrought the miracle of health in the hemorrhaging
woman in this week’s Gospel text, Jesus immediately sought her out to speak
with her about her experience. Impressed by the power of her Faith, Jesus
proclaims, “Your Faith has made you well.” Furthermore, Jesus adds a standard
Jewish blessing “Go in peace.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
15) She never realized the miracle of her life when she
was living it. In Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, Emily
Webb comes back from the dead to the town of her childhood. There she finds all
her long-dead acquaintances alive and her mother and father, too. The town is
still the same as she remembers it when she was a child — except for one thing.
The sheer beauty and wonder of everything she sees is overwhelming. Every sight
and sound, every gesture of love, each tender grace between friends is almost
too much for her to bear. She had never realized the miracle of her life when
she was living it. — Faith is strengthened through the pleasure that comes from
remembering the miracle stories. But it’s not just that. When we choose Faith
over control and “let God be God,” we have a much better chance of experiencing
those miracles of God’s grace all around us right now. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
16) “I decided long ago that there are no strangers in my
world”: One of my favorite authors today is a professor at Loyola
University in Chicago. His name is Father John Powell. In addition to being a
best-selling writer, he is also a highly popular lecturer, teacher, and
counselor. In his book, entitled, Through the Eyes of Faith, he
tells about his prison ministry. About once a month, he visits a prisoner in
the state penitentiary. He describes how difficult that is for him personally…
the atmosphere is dismal, dark, depressing… and charged with suspicion.
However, on one occasion, Father Powell said he had an enlightening and
inspiring experience in that stern and somber prison environment. An elderly
woman was standing beside him as they moved through the visitor line. Together,
they went through numerous security checkpoints. They were required to produce
identification; they were required to pass through metal detectors; they were
led by heavily armed guards through countless doors made of strong steel bars.
And through it all, John Powell said he could not help but notice how this
sweet, dear woman was smiling warmly toward everyone, waving tenderly to the
guards and calling many of them by name, and greeting everyone in a kind and
loving way. John Powell was fascinated with her. She was absolutely radiant.
She was a ray of sunshine and a breath of fresh air in that sullen place.
Suddenly, John Powell said to her, “Gee, I’ll bet you bring a lot of love into
this world with your smiling face and words.” “Father,” she replied, “I decided
long ago that there are no strangers in my world. Only brothers and sisters.
Some of them I haven’t met yet.” Reflecting on that experience, John Powell
wrote this remarkable paragraph. Listen closely. He said: “That lady drew out
of me a deep and warm reaction of love. And gradually I came to realize that
people are not one thing, good or bad, but many things. In every human being
there is warmth, love, affection, but there is also hurt, anger, weakness. We
stimulate or draw out of them one or the other. It all depends upon our approach,
and our approach depends upon our attitude.” And then Father Powell writes
these concluding words: “This was the genius of Jesus. He took people where
they were and loved them into life. This is precisely what Jesus did for …
those whose lives He touched. He was a living portrait of love in action. And
the caption under the portrait reads: Please love one another as I have
loved you. Yes… this was the genius of Jesus. He took people where
they were and loved them into life.” [See John Powell, Through the Eyes
of Faith (Allen, Texas: Tabor Publishing, 1992), pp. 60-61.] — This is
precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5. He
is loving some needy and hurting people into life. This passage is a
fascinating one because here we have a story within a story. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
17) Death is not God’s doing: The untimely death
of Jesuit theologian and friend, Peter Arokiadoss, during Holy Week 2008
shocked us all. Arokiadoss had a persistent cough, diagnosed later as result of
metastases in the bile duct. Within days, Arokiadoss breathed his last. On the
eve of his death, when asked by a relative why God gave him a priest, such
sickness, Arokiadoss replied: “No, God didn’t give me this sickness. All of us
have cancer cells which are under control. Most likely because of my lifestyle
or food or sleeping habits, I might have given cause for these cells to grow
and destroy the good cells. God does not cause sickness; we cause it
ourselves.” — The opening words of today’s reading declare: “Death was
not God’s doing.” We often feel that God is the cause of all
births/deaths, but Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have
it in abundance.” Indeed, God is a God of Life, and “death is not God’s
doing.” It is, rather, we who cause death in myriad forms – through our
sin, selfishness, pride, power-plays, greed, and godlessness. Nonetheless, the
Lord of Life bids us touch people and heal them. Are we ready to hold people’s
hands and cry out with the power of the Spirit: “Talitha, koum!” “Little
girl, (sick man, addicted youth, sorrowing widow, frustrated priest, failed
student …), Arise, Arise, arise!”?
[Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr.
Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
18) Merchant of life or death? In 1888, a man
picked up the morning paper and, to his horror, read his own obituary! The
newspaper, reporting the death of the man’s brother, had misidentified him as
the man himself! Like most of us, the surviving brother relished the idea of
finding out what people would say about him after he died. He read past the
bold caption, “Dynamite King Dies,” to the text itself. He read along until he
was taken aback by the description of himself as a “merchant of death.” He was
the inventor of dynamite and had amassed a great fortune from the manufacture
of weapons of destruction among many other things. But he was moved by this
description. Did he really want to be known as a “merchant of death”? It was,
perhaps, at that moment that a healing power greater than the destructive force
of dynamite came over him and prompted him to establish in his will a series of
prizes honoring those who contributed to the world works of peace and human
betterment. — Today, of course, the man is best remembered, not as a “merchant
of death,” but as the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize – Alfred Nobel. [Anonymous;
quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
19) Power in weakness: Joseph Stalin, dictator of Soviet Russia from 1924 to 1953, was an ex-Christian who had become an utter materialist. After his death, even the Russian Communists reversed his ruthless policies that had led to the “liquidation” (a nice word for killing) of millions of people who got in his way. Materialistic dictators think in terms of power, and power usually means armies and weapons. When the papacy was brought into international diplomatic discussion in the 1930’s, Stalin asked how many divisions of soldiers the Holy Father had at his disposal. Winston Churchill told the story in his memoirs, The Second World War. It seems that in 1935 France signed a vague agreement with Soviet Russia to give mutual assistance against aggression. French Premier Pierre Laval followed up the treaty with a visit to Moscow, during which he discussed politics with Stalin. Stalin was anxious to know just how many divisions of soldiers France had on the western front. When Laval had told him, he also brought up another matter that was important to France diplomatically. “Can’t you do something to encourage religion and the Catholics in Russia?” the French premier dared to ask the atheist dictator. “It would help me so much with the Pope.” “Oh” Stalin replied. “The Pope! How many divisions has he got?” Laval knew he had been brushed off. — The only army the Popes have is their small ceremonial Swiss Guard. Militarily, they are powerless. But as a moral force, they are very powerful. The papacy has outlived Hitler, Stalin, and a host of “Strongmen” over the centuries. Popes can say, with St. Paul, “When I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10. Today’s second reading.). -Father Robert F. McNamara. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/).
From Sermons.com
Jairus' Daughter
This was the greatness of Jesus. He took people where they were and hugged them to life. That is precisely what we see Jesus doing here in this dramatic passage in Mark 5...
Generally in western culture it remains true that "Clothes make the man," or in the name of a popular website, "Clothes make the girl." Got a teenager? Then you know what I'm talking about. Then you know oh-so-purse-painfully how important it is to have the "right look." To wear the "right duds" so you can be the "right dudes." Even if you are not a "fashionista," it is almost impossible not to be influenced by what the current culture says is "cool" (or "hot"). Who doesn't want to "look good" and so "feel good" about themselves?
Every week the tabloids are filled with planted or paparazzi celebrity photos - either looking their best or revealing their worst. But whatever shape they are in, what those celebrities are sporting influences the fashion choices of thousands. Designers count on it. In fact they literally "bank" on it. If someone fabulous and famous wears something, it will sell. The "knock 'em dead" designs on red carpet runways are immediately copied into much cheaper "knock-offs" so that those with a bit of disposable income can outfit themselves like royalty. Even countries without "royal families" have their "royalty."
Touch in Church
What is all this touching in church? It used to be a person could come to church and sit in the
pew and not be bothered by all this friendliness and certainly not by touching.
I used to come to church and leave untouched. Now I have to be nervous about what's expected of me. I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.
Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just ask the person next to me: How are you?
And the person could answer: Oh, just fine, And we'd both go home... strangers who have known each other for twenty years.
But now the minister asks us to look at each other. I'm worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman's eyes.
Now I'm concerned, because when the minister asks us to greet one another, the man next to me held my hand so tightly I wondered if he had been touched in years.
Now I'm upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized and said it was because I was so kind and that she needed a friend right now.
Now I have to get involved. Now I have to suffer when this community suffers. Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.
That man last week told me I'd never know how much I'd touched his life.
All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was to be lonely.
Lord, I'm not big enough to touch and be touched! The stretching scares me.
What if I disappoint somebody? What if I'm too pushy? What if I cling too much? What if somebody ignores me?
"Pass the peace." "The peace of Christ be with you." "And also with you." And mean it. Lord, I can't resist meaning it! I'm touched by it, I'm enveloped by it! I find I do care about that person next to me! I find I AM involved! And I'm scared.
O Lord, be here beside me. You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched! So that I can care and be cared for! So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!
All this touching in church -- Lord, it's changing me!
What was it our audacious friend said so many centuries ago? "If I but touch...I will be healed."
12 Years
Long about the same time that Jairus welcomed his little girl into the world, a women he didn't know began to hemorrhage. For twelve years this woman suffered. For twelve years this little girl grew and became ever-more-dear to her father. Both women were headed toward a rendezvous with Jesus on the very same day. Although their paths to Jesus were as different as could be, both of these daughters of Israel would point forward to the new community Jesus came to build.
Scott Hoezee, The Touch
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Perhaps, Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic theologian, has said this better than anyone else. The author of many books, Nouwen speaks of Christians as "wounded healers" who have compassion.
Compassion is not pity. Pity lets us stay at a distance. It is condescending.
Compassion is not sympathy. Sympathy is for superiors over inferiors.
Compassion is not charity. Charity is for the rich to continue in their status over the poor.
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Qualification for the Gift of the Gospel
Robert Farrar Capon
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Priorities
The Grow in Clusters
Jesus Brings Life
With whom do you most identify in today's gospel? There are plenty of characters here who are being stung by death. There is a woman whose whole life has been caught, dominated by a terrible, life-demanding illness. There is a distraught father. A little girl whose young life is being cut short. There are the baffled disciples, the crowd who doesn't know what to think of all this. Where are you?
And yet, intruding into the story is another face, the strong, live-giving face of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus was forever intruding into fixed, settled, hopeless situations and bringing life. Hear his strong voice speaking over the laments and dirges in today's gospel? Hear him as he calls to the little girl, "Get up!"
