Hope After Death
Jun. 30: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today's readings are about hope. But where does the hope come from? An encounter with Jesus Christ.
Jairus' family and the bleeding woman had a conversation with Jesus; Paul met Jesus in a vision. We receive Him in a different way--holy eucharist. But it's all the same Christ, and the same hope.
Reading 1
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.
Wisdom tells us that the pain and suffering of this life are not what God intended.
God intended for us to live with Him forever in Heaven. We die because of sin, which is separation from God.
But all hope is not lost...
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
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.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
"It's always darkest before the dawn" is a cliche, but it's also true. The thing is, we don't know what time it is. As dark as it may be now, it might get darker still. We just have to maintain hope from mourning to morning.
Reading 2
2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15
Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.
Jesus died for us. He didn't have to; it was an act of grace.
But we should respond in kind, by returning his selfless act with selfless acts of our own. We can never actually pay Him back, but that's just all the more reason to be generous with the gifts we have for the needy.
Alleluia
Cf. 2 Tm 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Paul returns to this message again and again—Jesus saved us out of His own goodness.
Gospel
Mk 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 and pressed upon 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 Jesus, "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.
Jesus is on His way to perform a miracle, when another miraculous request interrupts him. Because of the delay, the little girl dies. How can one miracle cause harm to another person? How can Jesus allow that?
After healing the bleeding woman, Jesus ignores the crowd’s objections and continues on to Jairus’ home. He takes the little girl’s hand and says “Talitha koum" - “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” And, of course, she does. Two miraculous healings in one day!
The point of the interruption is twofold. First, it tells us that God works in His own time. It’s not that Jairus asks for help and Jesus just immediately does it, like a servant. Jesus took care of the daughter when the time was right.
Second, it shows that hope is never lost. The girl was dead. Just imagine how angry Jairus must’ve been, seeing the bleeding woman waylay Jesus. But Jesus made time for both the woman and the little girl.
It’s impossible for us, trapped in time as we are, to understand why Jesus seems to delay in answering our prayers. All we can do is hope and wait for the right time.
For any reader who’s not aware, my daughter is extremely sick, with an incurable and degenerative disease called Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. We pray for a miracle every day, but so far, Jesus has not said “Talitha koum.” Perhaps there’s a bleeding woman who needs his help right now, but from my perspective it’s definitely difficult to wait.