I shall be cured

Listening to the Spirit

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.
All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son,
forever and ever. Amen.

Listening to the Word

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.

Reflection

The prayer from the heart of this woman in today’s gospel should be the plea of everyone in the journey toward true discipleship. “I shall be cured.” Everyone who approaches the Master bring within the many pieces of life. Only Jesus with His touch can put it together. Today’s gospel present the prayer of one man and one woman. The whole humanity in front and even behind Jesus. Both of them presented their situation to the Lord. The man by words and the woman in the silence of her heart. The Master will listen to all.

In our days as we give a look at the world we live and see so many circumstances of death and evil that seems taking over more and more. We often get discouraged in the middle of a huge darkness. Such realities habitually afflicted also the life of the believers. What we do not realized is the fact, like in the gospel, inside of this great confusion He is passing by. He is there and willing to heal us all.

The woman knows her situation. She is aware of her affliction. Conscious of what she had lost in order to be healed. Yet nothing and no one was able to cure her. That day, she had the chance to get close to the One able to do something, because; “She had heard about Jesus.” She is a disciple already. The affliction of her life was a hindrance to follow the Master fully. In fact, she arrived from behind with this prayer on her heart: “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Two desires come together, the one of Jesus willing to give life, not only to her but to all, image of the little girl also in the gospel. And the desire of the woman to be cured... “I shall be cured.” If someone never experienced in some way the loving touch of the Lord such desire to be healed will be a distant desire. One can try to go on with its own affliction for years maybe even thinking that this is necessary part of life. In reality the affliction is a source of death. To be touched by Him gave the one touched a new commitment before the Lord, a new life. The desire to be healed is not automatic. It happens only in an encounter with a greater love.