‘Do not be afraid; just have faith’
June 30—13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30, R.
I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Gospel—Mark 5:21-43
There is a saying in Filipino, “kapit sa patalim,” referring to desperate moves during desperate times. This is what we can consider as the mood in this Sunday’s Gospel.
We see the desperation of a father whose daughter is dying, and a desperate woman whose 12-year illness saw no signs of healing, despite spending her fortune on a cure.
This is our first point for reflection, despair and hope. Then we will reflect on the personal encounter with Jesus, and finally a reflection on faith.
The esteemed Christian existentialist, Gabriel Marcel, pointed out that it is at the threshold of despair from which hope springs.
We saw this in Jesus himself. His was a human despair that allowed divine grace to transform this despair into an act of perfect loving obedience, the divine grace.
This now is the source of our hope. Jairus and the woman opened themselves to this hope through “kapit sa patalim.”Both approached Jesus with great humility and a “desperate surrender” to his healing grace and love.
Both believed Jesus can transform their despair into hope.
“My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” (cf. Mark 5:21-43)
“If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
This moment, too, the threshold of despair and the grace of hope, is the moment of their personal encounter with Jesus, our second point for reflection.
There is something special in these encounters. We saw in the encounters Jesus’ personal stake or investment in the desire and prayer of Jairus and the woman.
Jesus felt power coming out of him as the woman touched his clothes. He asked, “Who touched me?” And when the woman came forward, he affirmed her faith.
Personal stake
When Jesus reached Jairus’ house and was told the daughter was dead, he dismissed the news and told Jairus his daughter will live.
Jesus was ridiculed for this, yet he continued to heal Jairus’ daughter with the assurance, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
Jesus focused them on faith, as he himself showed his own faith by having a personal stake or investment in the plight of the woman, and Jairus and his daughter.
If the plea of the two was “kapit sa patalim,” Jesus’ response was one of “paninindigan.” He stood up for Jairus, his daughter and the woman.
He continues to stand up for us in our needs, desires and prayers, and most especially in our moments of desperation.
In all the events in today’s Gospel, Jesus kept on pointing the woman and Jairus to faith, their personal faith.
To the woman he said, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
To Jairus, he gave the assurance of his daughter’s healing: “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
We all long for some form of healing and wholeness. Jairus and the woman gave us a path in their stories.
It begins with our bringing our despair and our prayer to Jesus in all humility. This wins for us a personal encounter with Jesus, where we experience Jesus taking on our despair and giving us hope.
Our response to this love and hope of Jesus is faith. “Your faith has saved you … Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
