Staying Alive!

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

01 July 2018

First reading                                                                     Wisdom 1: 13-15;2:23-24
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 world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld 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 belong to his company experience it.

Second reading                                                     2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15

Brothers and sisters: 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 though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,  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 abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance 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                                                                     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 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

By Ma. Rosalina S. Flores

It was 2:30 a.m. on February 27, 2017 when we got a phone call from my uncle informing us that my grandmother has died. She was peacefully taken by the Lord in the middle of her sleep. Shocked of the news, I could hardly believe that she already left us. It might be a wrong declaration since we just talked over the phone last night and I remembered myself praying to God for her healing. Sadly, the truth remained. She was dead and we must accept.

Almost same scenario happened in today’s Gospel when Jairus heard the death of his daughter. It can never be true as he was still pleading Jesus to come and lay His hands on his daughter. Good thing that Jesus has done a miracle before them. He awakened Jairus’ daughter from the sleep of death. And this is one of the few incidents that Jesus raised someone from the dead. How blessed they were during those times!

At present, rising from the dead should not be taken literally. Jesus, our savior can resurrect us from our old and dead selves. As the First Reading from the Book of Wisdom told us, “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; But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world”. Because of continuously falling into sins, our souls were slowly being buried by evil. To avoid it, we must be reminded that our Father is God of the living; therefore, we must always persevere to remain alive with Him by obeying His commands and doing His will.

But aside from doing our best to follow Christ for our own benefit, we are also called to bring others to faith. This is what the Second Reading from the 2^nd Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians explained to us. “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.” We are accountable to one another. Let us not forget others especially when we are on top and good - we should help them know the right path and become better Christians too.

And as we continue to reflect on the Gospel today, as we look back at the times we became dead to sin, may we acknowledge the hundredfold of mercy and forgiveness that Jesus bestowed on us. May we be consoled by His powerful words to Jairus as He said, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." Then, as our thanksgiving, may we together proclaim the Responsorial Psalm today, “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. Because you changed my mourning into dancing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.” God is faithful. He will never tire of converting our sadness to gladness. Trust in Him.

Yes, I was saddened by my grandmother’s sudden death but God did not leave me. He was my comforter, my listener, my forever stronghold.

Prayer

Almighty Father, I may be frail and dead at times, but please do not give up on me as it is my greatest desire to be with You in the resurrection.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your son, who lives and reigns, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.