Tuesday, June 25, 2024

June 30, 2024. 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

                                                             From the Pastor’s Desk

Take My Hand

The gospel portrays Jesus’ generosity in healing the afflicted and the willingness of the sick to seek his help. Because God will not do what we can do for ourselves, it is essential to reach out for help when we need it. Jairus humbly knelt before Jesus, pleading for his sick daughter. In a comforting and reassuring manner, Jesus immediately went to his house to heal the girl. Christ is always in the business of healing and saving those who are lost. Another person in the crowd was a woman who, due to her social, economic, and religious status, was considered unfit to be in the company of Jesus or in public. This woman had spent all her money on doctors. She was ceremonially unclean due to her continuous flow of blood, making her unable to enter any synagogue. She had to come into personal contact with the healer to be healed, but doing so would defile him and nullify his healing power. She was too afraid to ask Jesus for help, so she mustered the courage to touch his garment, hoping she would be made clean. Her prayer was answered, and she was instantly healed. Jesus did not shame her but praised her courage and extolled her faith. The Psalmist tells us to “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Ps.50:15).

 

According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay out of places such as these.” Brahma, one of the major gods of Hinduism, came on the scene and said, “You suffer because of your sins.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Mohammad came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas! It is the will of God.” Finally, Jesus appeared. “Take my hand, brother,” He said, “and I will save you.” The mercy of Jesus is always there for us if we will only take his hand and allow him to heal us. For He has come “To seek and to save what was lost” (Lk. 19:10). The world would be better if we, too, treat people as God treats us. Let us always give a helping hand and lead someone to a better place than where we found him, and God will bless us for it!

Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor. 8:7,9, 13-15; Mk 5:21-43.

Take my Hand! 

Last Sunday, we read about Job and his ordeal. We noticed that God did not give Job any justification for his suffering. Instead, Job was invited to see that suffering was within the mysterious design of the universe, where losses, setbacks, sickness, brokenness, pains, and disappointments had their place. The Book of Job addresses the problem of evil in the world created by a loving God. In today’s first reading, we hear that “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living…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 belong to his company experience it.” When we choose to do our will over and above the will of God, the source of our happiness, we choose death rather than life. Death is a way of life without God.

 

On the other hand, John’s gospel shows us that Jesus is the Lord of life. He tells us, “I came so that they might have life and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). He told Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (Jn 11:25). Jesus is always in the business of saving life. We are told that Jesus “Went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38). He restored sight to the blind, made the lame walk, raised the dead, fed the hungry, and drove away demons and initiated a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.

 

The gospel portrays Jesus’ generosity in healing the afflicted and the willingness of the sick to seek his help. Because God will not do what we can do for ourselves, it is important to reach out for help when we need it. Jairus, despite being a synagogue official, humbly knelt before Jesus, pleading for his sick daughter. Another person in the crowd was a woman who, due to her social, economic, and religious status, was considered unfit to be in the company of Jesus or in public. This woman had spent all her money on doctors. She was ceremonially unclean due to her continuous flow of blood, making her unable to enter any synagogue. She had to come into personal contact with the healer to be healed, but doing so would defile him and nullify his healing power. She was too afraid to ask Jesus for help, so she mustered the courage to touch his garment, hoping she would be made clean. Her prayer was answered, and she was instantly healed.

 

But then Jesus knew about the healing and demanded who the beneficiary was. With fear and trembling, she confessed what she had done. Jesus did not shame her but praised her courage and extolled her faith. The Psalmist tells us to “call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Ps.50:15). This reminds me of a story about the power of Jesus to save. According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay out of places such as these.” Brahma, one of the major gods of Hinduism, came on the scene and said, “You suffer because of your sins.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Mohammad came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas! It is the will of God.” Finally, Jesus appeared. “Take my hand, brother,” He said, “and I will save you.” The mercy of Jesus is always there for us if we will only take his hand and allow him to heal us. For He has come “to seek and to save what was lost.” (Lk. 19:10).

 

Saint Paul reminds us that Jesus’s generosity should inspire us to be generous. In the second reading, Paul appeals for help for the suffering poor in Jerusalem. He encourages us to be gracious to others, following Christ’s example of selfless giving, who sacrificed his life for the salvation of all. Yet, Paul emphasizes that individual disciples should give as they feel moved to, without compulsion. Jesus generously gives us everything, even himself, and invites us to seek him in all our troubles. As we sing, “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide, the darkness deepens Lord, with me abide, when other helpers fail, and comforts flee, the help of the helpless, oh abide with me.” May the Lord meet us in our times of need, take our hands, and raise us, just as he did with Jairus’ daughter. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

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