Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mk 5:21-43

06-28-2024Weekly ReflectionThe Faithful Disciple

GROW: “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” The assuredness with which the woman in today’s Gospel, afflicted with hemorrhages, speaks, is something I aspire to. She is at her wit’s end, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and she simply determines what she will do, bolstered by her faith in Jesus Christ.  Notice how she doesn’t approach Jesus directly, engage in conversation, or even ask anything of him. And Jesus, for his part, doesn’t actively seek her out or call her to him. But the woman knows. “She had heard about Jesus,” and she just knows that by simply touching his clothing, not even touching his human flesh, that the power he has within him will cure her. Her actions reflect the virtues of fortitude and hope, but it is her faith that has allowed her to see and understand the divine nature of Jesus – to see the God of healing standing before her. And she is not afraid. She trusts in his promises and compassion, and gives herself over to him with full vulnerability, achieving healing and being granted peace in response. If only we could do the same every time we are at our wit’s end … or maybe even long before we get there.

GO: If we are to follow Jesus we’re instructed to imitate him – giving people hope in situations that can seem hopeless. The promises of Christ are real, and through him God’s original order for Creation is restored. Death is defeated. The sick are healed. The kingdom of God, inaugurated by Christ and in which we participate here in this life, will be brought to fullness and fruition in the next. Being people of faith doesn’t mean we won’t suffer or die, but it does mean that suffering and death don’t have the last word with us. When we know and understand this, it affects our whole approach and way of relating to one another. When we know the words of Jesus are the truth, we take them into our hearts, live them in our actions, and share them by our witness.

ACCOMPANIMENT: Who around you could use this hope? Think of someone to whom you might bring the healing power of Christ, through listening and presence. Pray for someone who needs the peace of Christ in his or her life.