13th Sunday in Ordinary time, 27/06/2021 Mk 5, 21-43
In our daily life we try to do everything to have a good health, to keep ourselves fit by doing exercise, eating healthy food, going to check regularly with our doctor. But there are still many things happened out of control. Look at this pandemic that we have been facing. Life, death, sickness, …are part of our real life’s conditions. We feel tired, desperate because of our illness. Some want to be cured, others want to end their life by asking for euthanasia or assisted suicide. We need a healing touch by Jesus for not only our physical life but also our spiritual life.
In today’s long reading, we have two different stories. We have two different touch miracles by Jesus. In one, He was touched, while on the other, He was the one who touched. The woman who was suffering for twelve years believes that if she was able to touch Jesus, she would be cured. On the other hand, Jairus, the synagogue official, wanted Jesus to just lay His hands on his dying daughter. The woman was healed and the child was saved from death.
The woman was considered by the Jews as unclean because of her illness. She would also make someone unclean by touching her. Because of this, she was forbidden by the law from socializing with others. Jairus was an official of the synagogue. He is also supposed not socializing with someone like Jesus. Faith drove her to break the Law of “purification” and to risk scandal. Faith also drove Jairus to ask Jesus coming in his house to heal his daughter.
We are also unclean spiritually and not being well physically. However, an important question is do we have faith, or do we dare to do as the woman and Jairus going through these obstacles. There are always many obstacles personally and socially that prevent us to come, to touch or asking him to touch us with his blessing. We are afraid of many things. We are even afraid of returning our sins and living in his way. Moreover, we don’t have faith, and confidence in him.
The readings today show us that God wants nothing but life and goodness for us if only we will let Him rescue us. The first reading saying that the Good Lord doesn’t create death and takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living (Ws 1,13). The second reading tells us that God desires abundance for all of his children. And in the Gospel, Jesus brings a young girl back to life and heals a woman. Our God is a God of life, we can come to him and recharge our exhausted life. As Jesus said: “ Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will fresh you.”
We may not have physical contact with God to touch Or connect with Him. But we can be connected with Him spiritually. Faith makes that possible. “ Do not be afraid, only have faith” said Jesus. The haemorrhaging woman and Jairus’s daughter may have had contact with Jesus, but it was their faith that made the healings possible.
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