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Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 2, 2000
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 w orld are wholesome,
And there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the
nether world 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
are in his possession expience it.
Second Reading--(2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15)
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 for your sake he became poor although he was rich, 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 surplus at the present time should supply their needs, so that their surplus 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."
Gospel Reading--(Mark 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 him, "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.
Pastor's Message: Health
No question, when you are healthy you surely are wealthy! But why does our health always seem to be more valuable only after we lose it? Alas, those who ignore their health, in pursuit of wealth, frequently lose both. Then too, some people spend so much time watching their health that they then do not have much time to really enjoy it. Medical doctors measure our physical health by how the tongue looks. But the Divine Physician measures our spiritual health by how the tongue acts. And while stretching may be an aid to one's health, it doesn't ever seem to help the truth. Those people who seem to just think that money is everything obviously have never-ever been really sick. So probably, the relative value of health and wealth always depends on just which one has left.
The gospel describes a woman who had been severely afflicted by a hemorrhage
for some twelve years. Apparently, she had been bleeding abnormally from
one or more of her blood vessels. After receiving treatment from doctors
of every sort, her money was exhausted. And her physical condition had
only grown much worse. But her sickness and her bankruptcy were actually
great blessings in disguise. They were most probably her eternal salvation,
for they caused her to sincerely seek-out Jesus. How very often have we
ourselves actually seen people -- people like this very woman -- people
who were in such unfortunate circumstances and then were changed into the
most fortunate of situations? That which seemed so unfair and so unjust
was miraculously transformed into a great blessing. Evil is actually used
to bring about good. A person seems able to put-up with untold misery and
truly experience great joy in their incredible suffering. It's almost like
they are saying "Lord, I did not ask for this cross. But I sense that this
suffering is for my very own good. It is enabling me to reach-out to You,
and it surely makes me put the right value on the things of this life,
thus making me into a far better person than I would have otherwise really
been."
This brings to mind a song that Kris Kristofferson scored real big
with during the Summer of `73: "WHY ME LORD / What have I ever done / To
deserve even one / Of the blessings I've known / Why me Lord / What did
I ever do / That was worth love from you / And the kindness you've shown
/ Lord help me Jesus / I've wasted it / So help me Jesus / I know what
I am / Now that I know / That I've needed you so / Help me Jesus my soul's
in your hand / Try me Lord / If you think there's a way / That I can repay
/ What I've taken from you / Maybe Lord, I could show someone else / What
I've been through myself / On my way back to you / Jesus my soul's in your
hand."
Surely we have problems each and every day that need God's help. The
woman who was hemorrhaging said to herself, "If I just touch His clothing,
I shall get well." (MK 5, 28) Truly, anyone who reaches-out to Jesus has
already been cured of whatever it is that afflicts them. Someday when our
life stories are made known, everyone -- especially ourselves -- will see
the whole reason and the whole purpose for all the things that happened
in our lives on this earth.
Fr. George Griffin