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Gospel Reflection For The 30th day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2024

Gospel

Mark 5:21-43

21 And when Jesus had passed again in the ship over the strait, a great multitude assembled together unto him, and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus: and seeing him, falleth down at his feet. 23 And he besought him much, saying: My daughter is at the point of death, come, lay thy hand upon her, that she may be safe, and may live. 24 And he went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him. 25 And a woman who was under an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things from many physicians; and had spent all that she had, and was nothing the better, but rather worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the crowd behind him, and touched his garment. 28 For she said: If I shall touch but his garment, I shall be whole. 29 And forthwith the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the evil. 30 And immediately Jesus knowing in himself the virtue that had proceeded from him, turning to the multitude, said: Who hath touched my garments?

31 And his disciples said to him: Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou who hath touched me? 32 And he looked about to see her who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said to her: Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole: go in peace, and be thou whole of thy disease. 35 While he was yet speaking, some come from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying: Thy daughter is dead: why dost thou trouble the master any further?

36 But Jesus having heard the word that was spoken, saith to the ruler of the synagogue: Fear not, only believe. 37 And he admitted not any man to follow him, but Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he seeth a tumult, and people weeping and wailing much. 39 And going in, he saith to them: Why make you this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But he having put them all out, taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And taking the damsel by the hand, he saith to her: Talitha cumi, which is, being interpreted: Damsel (I say to thee) arise. 42 And immediately the damsel rose up, and walked: and she was twelve years old: and they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them strictly that no man should know it: and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

When we are at our weakest, often times our faith is most strong. In today’s Gospel, it is important to note that the father who came to our Lord, begging that He heal his daughter was a synagogue official. These were the very religious leaders who refused to believe in Jesus and would have Him crucified. Obviously, the man was desperate and would likely have given all his possessions and status to save his daughter. Perhaps he had waited until the last minute and no longer had anywhere to look for hope except to Jesus. The woman who touched our Lord’s garment and was healed had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. She must have been very weak and was also, likely, near death. Through her desperation, she found the faith to summon her strength and approach.

How many times have we been through struggles of illness, financial trouble, physical danger or grave concern for a loved one? What do we do? Well, I can only answer for myself. First, I try to fix the problem. That is my nature. Sometimes I am successful. Often though, the problem is bigger than my ability to fix it. I fail and try again…. And again. I end up just making matters worse. Finally, I seek help. Sometimes that is as simple as calling a skilled professional. Often though, the only answer lies beyond human ability. When I finally realize this, I pray. I pray earnestly because I am in genuine need of help. I pray humbly because I acknowledge not only my failings, but that my hesitancy to ask for help is a sign of pride.

To rely on God for all our needs is to truly call Him our Father. To trust in all of His promises is to have genuine faith. To share our problems with Jesus is to talk with Him and to have the kind of relationship with Him that He desires. Sometimes He will come swiftly to our aid, while other times His timing is not ours. He knows what is best for our souls, whereas our ideas of what is best are limited by human nature and lack of perspective. Jesus tells us through His Word, not to worry. Have faith in Him and He will care for all of our needs. I can tell you from experience, that it is best to remember this teaching at the beginning of a problem, not after you have exhausted all options and thoroughly screwed everything up!

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January-June, 2024. It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPD1DC7Q

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic