Gospel: July 8, 2024
(Monday)
14th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 145: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
The Lord is gracious and merciful.
1st Reading: Hosea 2: 16, 17c-18, 21-22
So I am going to allure her, lead her once more into the desert, where I can speak to her tenderly.
There, she will answer me, as in her youth, as when she came out of the land of Egypt.
On that day, Yahweh says, you will call me my husband, and never again: my Baal.
You will be my spouse forever, betrothed in justice and integrity; we will be united in love and tenderness. I will espouse you in faithfulness; and you will come to know Yahweh.
Gospel: Matthew 9: 18-26
While Jesus was speaking to them, an official of the synagogue came up to him, bowed before him and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and place your hands on her, and she will live.” Jesus stood up and followed him with his disciples.
Then a woman who had suffered from a severe bleeding for 12 years came up from behind and touched the edge of his cloak. For she thought, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.” And from that moment the woman was cured.
When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the excited crowd, he said, “Get out of here! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!” And they laughed at him. But once the crowd had been turned out, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up. The news of this spread through the whole area.
Reflection: “Your faith has saved you”
Today’s Gospel narrates the Matthean version of the twofold miracles performed by Jesus the raising of a girls back to life and the healing of the woman who suffered from a severe bleeding for 12 years (cf. Mk. 5:21-43; Lk. 8:40- 56).
Both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Matthew identified the father of the girl to be Jairus. Today’s Gospel identified the man simply as the synagogue official.
In Mark and Luke, the daughter of Jairus was severely sick or at the point of dying.
In Matthew, the official said that her daughter was already dead. There are two things found distinctively in Matthew’s Gospel: the official was nameless and that his daughter was already dead when he approached Jesus.
In Mark and Luke, Jairus did one last recourse to prevent his daughter from dying.
In Matthew, the girl was already dead and the official put so much faith in Jesus. We may reflect that the nameless presentation of the synagogue official aims to highlight the fact that he becomes our representative whenever we make the sincerest act of faith. This happens in time when there seems to be no more hope yet we come to Jesus and plead with him to do something.
