Restorer

    

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

30 June 2024

 

First Reading: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

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

Gospel: Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

 

Reflection

By: Pietro S. Albano

 

During the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our parish church on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there was a white cloth placed on the altar from the monstrance down to the steps of the sanctuary. Before bringing the Blessed Sacrament back into the tabernacle, the leader invited us to approach the altar and touch the cloth while gazing at the Blessed Sacrament. It was a powerful experience kneeling together with my family on the steps of the sanctuary. Touching the cloth “connected” us with our Eucharistic Lord. 

Such experience gave us a glimpse of what the woman in today’s Gospel experienced when she touched Jesus’ clothes. A healing experience! “If things created are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them”, St. Anthony of Padua once said. However, this state of loveliness became obscured “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (Ws 2:24). Sickness and death, then and now, show us the effect of sin. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 6:23). Restoring humanity to God’s image (Gn 1:27) cannot be done by any creature though. Only Jesus, who is both God and man, can do it. In fact, He has already achieved it.

“Dying, you destroyed our death. Rising, you restored our life”, goes an old version when we proclaim the mystery of our faith after Consecration. We can experience Jesus’ restorative action through the sacraments. As sinners, we need healing through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. Reconciled and healed, we need nourishment through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. St. John Bosco once said, “The devil is deadly afraid of fervent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.” How often have we received the sacraments? When was the last time we spent moments adoring our Lord in the tabernacle? Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle, which we can only win if Jesus is on our side. Remember, “Though he (Christ) was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we praise You for You have rescued us. Through our frequent reception of the sacraments, especially receiving Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion, and our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, may we conquer the enemy so that we may share in Your glory. Amen.