Cycle B - Year II:  

1 July 20180: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time  

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Second Reading:  2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Gospel:Please Read  Mark 5:21-43

Lord Jesus, heal us!

As you wake up each morning, do you talk to God first in prayer, or just go on with your usual daily routine; perhaps log on immediately to social media to chat or contact friends?

Least we forget, God wants to talk to us too. And He speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. The Sunday connection provides useful background and activities to better understand and grow in faith, helping us to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.

This Sunday's Gospel narrates two stories of healing. One story tells us about a father's great love fos his daughter. The other story tells about a woman desperate in seeking healing from Jesus.

Very different circumstances are represented by the lives of each suffering person. The contrasts between Jairus, the father who seeks help for his daughter, and the woman with the hemorrhage are stark and revealing. One is a man, the other is a woman. One is a public official, an important person in the community. The other is a woman who has lost everything to find a cure to her affliction that separated her from the community. One approaches our Lord Jesus publicly. The other approaches Jesus secretly. Yet in each case, faith leads them to seek out Jesus in their time of need. Thus, in the stories before us, the request for healing from Jesus is by itself a courageous act of faith.

How does our Lord Jesus respond to their need? In both incidents, Jesus shows His personal concern for the needs of others and His readiness to heal and restore life. Thus, in Jesus we see the infinite love of God extending to each and every individual as our Lord gives freely and wholly of Himself to each person He meets. Now, do we also find time when someone needs us? Giving time to someone in need is like giving our very self.

The second point in our reflection is the healing itself. The bleeding woman was restored to health and the dead child brought back to life through a personal encounter with Jesus. They keep faith in Jesus's healing power and allow God's gift of compassion and mercy to work in them. In the case of the sick woman, Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." And for the dead child, it was her father's faith in Jesus that brought her back to life. In other words, when we pray for God's healing, it is not just a magical cure from bodily sickness that we should ask God for, but a true life in Jesus Christ that overcomes all illnesses.

Do we approach our Lord Jesus Christ with expectant faith, confident in Jesus' power to heal us?

Let us conclude our reflection with these inspiring words from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (July 2012):

"We rightly ask God for so many healing from our problems, from concrete necessities. But what we must ask for insistently, is a more solid faith, so that the Lord might renew our life and a firm trust in His love, in His providence that does not abandon us."

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!