Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the gospel of Mark (5: 21-43) we hear of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, who comes with great humility, falling at his feet and pleading for help. This leader goes to the King of leaders and begs for help. Jairus keeps order in the synagogue and Jesus keeps order in the cosmos. He falls at his feet and Matthew’s Gospel says he bows low, as only a Jew can do to God. He also does something very unusual. He asks Jesus not only to come but to lay his hands on his daughter. He implies not just to cure here but to give her life, to purify her. The laying on of hands is crucial for the sacraments of penance, confirmation, holy orders, anointing of the sick and it is what Peter and Paul did when they cured others. No doubt that they learned this from Christ and this sacramental sign continues today. The power of God comes through the hands of Christ and his priests and deacons.
A woman bleeding for twelve years suddenly approaches Jesus. Her affliction means that she is impure, unable to touch anyone, and she follows him from behind. She goes where she does not belong and by her actions we see that she is very resourceful. She says, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be cured.” She takes a huge risk since a woman who is bleeding is deemed impure and cannot touch anyone. However, her faith helps her to leap beyond protocol to attempt something crazy! What does she do? She clings to God, she touches Jesus Christ! Not even his flesh, only a tassel of his cloak, which also is meant to remind a Jew of the commandments of God. A tassel means that a person will be bound to God, and not to go astray. She clings to this tassel, which is a sign of her conversion, of her turning to God.
And after she touches him and is cured Jesus turns to her and sees her; he calls her out of anonymity and begins a relationship with her. He says, “Daughter, your faith has saved you!” How wonderful! He could have just let her go, but he turns around and sees her face to face. He acts deliberately. Jesus wants to see all of her, and all of you. He does not just pass by but enters a new relationship with her.
Because of her ailment this woman seeks the Lord with all her strength. This perhaps is why God allows sufferings so that we seek him. The meaning of the verb to save in the original language also means that she is different. Her life is changed forever due to him. The root of the verb also means to be made whole, to be intact. To be restored to the way God made us. The Lord says the same to us. Don’t be afraid to touch him, allow him to look at you, seek his face especially when you have a suffering, an affliction.
After this encounter with this woman Jesus approaches the house of Jairus and people are telling the synagogue leader not to bother him any more since his daughter is dead. Jesus tells them to be calm and have faith. And he takes with him only Peter, James and John, his inner circle of apostles. When he enters of the commotion surrounding the mourners of the dead girl, they laugh at him when he says that she is sleeping. The text says twice that Jesus enters the house and the room of this girl. I think Mark is telling us that Jesus is not afraid to enter your death and mine, not just physical death but anything that kills us. That is what Jesus does: he enters death to raise us up and bring us to himself.
Jesus takes her hand and says, “Little girl, I tell you get up.” She got up at once and began to walk about. A Christian believes that death is only a ‘falling asleep’ until the Lord awakens us. We ought to not grieve like others when someone close to us dies. Of course, we cry and are sad, but not destroyed. We know that God made us to be immortal, like him.
What great signs these healing miracles are for all of Israel and for us. Jesus acts uniquely with each person and is very close to them. He knows your afflictions. Don’t be afraid to reach out and touch him, and to let yourself be touched, and seen, by him.