If I touch the hem of His garment ~ Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Mk 5:21-43

In Mark's Gospel today, we read about two different types of people who have several things in common.  Both have great needs in their lives and both have seen or heard about this holy man, Jesus.  What they have seen and heard has brought them to a deep faith and trust in the healing powers of Jesus.

We have a synagogue official who is in the midst of a family crisis because his daughter is dying.  Despite what problems other synagogue officials might be having with Jesus and his popularity among the people, Jairus believes that only Jesus has the power to heal her.  He doesn't hesitate to fall at his feet and plead for Jesus to come to his home and lay hands on his daughter.

At the same time, a woman who has had hemorrhages for twelve years and has spent all her money on doctors who had hoped to heal her, has made her way through the crowd to Jesus.  She has heard of his healing powers and believes that there is no one else that can make her whole again.  However, she is considered unclean because of her illness and so cannot ask Jesus to lay hands on her.

"If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured," she thinks to herself. (Mk 5:28)...  She was immediately cured!

In the case of Jairus' daughter, the girl appeared to have died when Jesus arrived at the home of the synagogue official, but he told her parents to have faith; and indeed, Jesus took the child by the hand and raised her up and gave her to her parents.  

I wonder if we, in today's world, have the faith and trust in God that these two people had.  Sometimes it is difficult to have faith.  However, we are to trust even when things seem to be going badly.  Sometimes we even become angry with God... We are hurt because things don't turn out the way we believe they should.  We are not alone; even the prophets got angry with God at times, before they came to understand that God's ways are not ours.

The psalmist understood this when he praised God by declaring:  "Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will."  (Ps 30:5)


 ~ Image found at Claverjesuit.org/hem.html