13th Sunday of the Year, B – June 30, 2024.
Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24; Ps 29:2,4-6,11-13; 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15; Gospel – Mark 5:21-43.
Sunday Synopsis
The first reading reveals that death came into the world because of the devil’s envy. In the second reading, St. Paul speaks to the heart of faith and the works of mercy. The gospel reading presents us with two powerful miracles of Jesus aimed at the restoration of health and life. The healing of the woman with the issue of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter urges us to embrace the culture of life and suppress the culture of death!
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, as a people of unwavering hope, today’s liturgy challenges us to develop total trust in God even as we struggle to save life. Life is God’s supreme gift to us which must be nurtured from the cradle to the grave. Sadly, we are living in a rat race that places the mundane over the sacred. As such, our reflection examines the biblical text in search of spiritual lessons that seek to protect lives and the dignity of the human person.
Background and Summary of the Readings
The first reading (Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24) reveals that death came into the world because of the devil’s envy. It also notes that he does not take pleasure in the extinction of the living. It stresses the impeccability of God’s creation adding that God made man in his image and likeness thus imperishable.
In the second reading (2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15), St. Paul speaks to the heart of faith and the works of mercy. He states that Jesus was rich in everything but became poor for the sake of humanity. He argues for the need to develop a balanced spirituality that helps others but does not forget one’s own needs. Paul advocates for mutual support as an essential ingredient of the Christian life.
The gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) presents us with two powerful miracles of Jesus aimed at the restoration of health and life. In the first miracle, Jesus was going to the house of one of the leading synagogue officials – Jairus when a woman who suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years and had spent all her money on visiting doctors without a cure, touched his cloak and got cured –she had assured herself and if only she could touch the fringe of his garments, she would be whole again. As soon as she touched him, she was cured, but the power went out of Jesus. He defied wailing and commotion by mourners at Jairu’s house and heals the 12-year-old girl to the amazement of everyone. After ordering them to give her something to eat, Jesus ordered that they should tell no one about it.
Pastoral Lessons
1. Find a recipe for death: Because the reading reveals that it was the devil who brought death into the world, we are charged to find a recipe against death by embracing the holiness of life to enter heaven.
2. Live for others: Paul invites us to embrace mutual support by reaching out to others especially those at the margins of society as this is an essential ingredient of the Christian life.
3. Embrace the culture of Life: Since the gospel relates the miracles of the woman with the issue of blood and Jairu’s daughter, we are challenged to embrace the culture of life in line with Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae which supports the restoration of health and life in place of the culture of death that unleashes upon us anti-life activities such as abortion, euthanasia, torture, and cruel deaths.
4. Care for the sick: Pastors of souls as well as medics and paramedics must ensure that they give their time and expertise to their vocation bearing in mind that their lives might just be that cloak of Jesus that the sick need to touch to be whole again – The Church needs to reaffirm its apostolate of the sick to bring Jesus to those who are physically, physiologically and spiritually sick.
5. Look to the resurrection: Like the rising of Lazarus from the dead, the raising of Jairus’ daughter points to and urges us to look forward to the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come.
Summary Lines
1. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom reveals that death came into the world because of the devil.
2. In the second reading, St. Paul speaks to the heart of faith and the works of mercy.
3. He states that Jesus was rich in everything but became poor for the sake of humanity.
4. The gospel reading presents us with two powerful miracles of Jesus aimed at the restoration of health and life.
5. After ordering that they should give her something to eat, Jesus ordered that they should tell no one about what happened.
Conclusion
We are reminded that faith is an essential ingredient of our Christian life without the mandate to save life would be nothing serious. It takes a person of faith to nurture life from conception to natural death; it takes a person of faith to resist any vendetta aimed at wiping out a whole community in the name of an offensive, preventive, or reactionary attack. Christians ought to nurture and save lives. However, the legitimate duty of self-defense is a moral absolute. Have a blessed Sunday!
