First Reading
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Death entered the world through the work of the devil.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 30:2,4,5-6,11,12,13
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for having rescued us
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15
As Christ became poor for our sake, so must we share with those in need
from our abundance.
Gospel Reading
Mark 5:21-43 (shorter form, Mark 5:21-24,35b-43)
Jesus heals a woman afflicted with a hemorrhage and raises Jairus's
daughter from death.
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to Jesus,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
or
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house
arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
Background on the Gospel Reading
For today's Gospel, we continue to read from the Gospel of Mark. Last
Sunday we heard about Jesus calming the storm, the first of four miracles
that Jesus performs in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee. Each of these
four miracle stories offers us a glimpse at Jesus' power. This week we
hear about the third and fourth miracles, skipping the second miracle, the
healing of a man from Gerasene who was possessed by a demon.
Today's Gospel reports two stories of healing. One story tells us about a
father's great love for his dying daughter. The other story tells us about
a desperate woman who risks much as she seeks healing from Jesus. In each
story, the request for healing is itself a courageous act of faith, and
yet very different circumstances are represented by the lives of each
suffering person.
Jairus is described as a synagogue official, a man of considerable
standing in the Jewish community. Distraught over his daughter's poor
health, he approaches Jesus and asks him to heal her. Although Mark
doesn't provide many details, we can imagine that his daughter has been
ill for some time and that her condition is deteriorating.
As Jesus leaves with Jairus, Mark describes a second person who seeks
healing from Jesus, a woman with a hemorrhage. This woman secretly touches
Jesus from behind and is immediately cured. In response, Jesus turns and
asks who touched him. Jesus' disciples, always a little clueless in Mark's
Gospel, help us envision the scene. The crowds are pushing in on Jesus,
and yet he, knowing that power has gone out of him, asks who touched him.
The woman could have remained anonymous, yet at Jesus' question she steps
forward and acknowledges what she has done. Jesus responds by
acknowledging her as a model of faith and sends her away in peace.
At this point, we can imagine Jairus's impatience with Jesus; his daughter
is dying and Jesus hasn't helped him yet. As if to build a sense of
urgency, messengers suddenly arrive and confirm Jairus's worst fear: his
daughter has died. Jesus curiously ignores their message and reassures
Jairus. When they arrive at Jairus's home, they find family and friends
mourning the girl's death. Jesus enters the room of the dead girl, takes
her by the hand, and instructs her to arise. Jairus's faith in Jesus has
not been in vain; his daughter is restored to life.
The contrasts between Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage are stark
and revealing. One is a man, the other is a woman. One is a public
official, an important person in the community. The other is a woman who
has lost everything to find a cure to a condition that separated her from
the community. One approaches Jesus publicly. The other approaches Jesus
secretly. Yet in each case, faith leads them to seek out Jesus in their
time of need.
The Gospel concludes with Jesus' instructions to remain silent about this
miracle. This is typical of Mark's Gospel and is sometimes referred to as
the messianic secret. Repeatedly, those who witness Jesus' power and
authority are instructed to not speak of what they have witnessed. These
instructions appear impossible to obey, and it is difficult to understand
the purpose of these instructions. But in each case, they seem to
emphasize the fact that each individual, including the reader of Mark's
Gospel, must, in the end, make his or her own judgment about Jesus'
identity. Each individual must make his or her own act of faith in
affirming Jesus as God's Son.
Family Connection
There are many ways in which we can compare the request for healing made
by Jairus and the request of the woman with the hemorrhage. One comparison
helps us think about prayer. Jairus asked Jesus for healing on his
daughter's behalf; the woman with the hemorrhage had no one to speak for
her and bravely approached Jesus on her own initiative. In our prayers, we
do both. We intercede for others' needs, and we also courageously express
our own needs to God. We find hope in Jesus' response to both of these
people, who sought him out in their hour of need.As you gather as a
family, talk about some of the things you have prayed for this week.
Notice that some of your prayers may have been for other people, and some
of your prayers may have been for your own needs. In today's Gospel we
find encouragement for both kinds of prayer. Read together today's Gospel,
Mark 5:21-43. Talk about the similarities and differences between the two
people who presented their needs to Jesus in this Gospel. Notice that both
people received the healing they sought from Jesus. We want to pray for
the needs of others and for our own needs with as much faith and hope as
Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage did. Pray together in thanks and
praise to God, who hears our needs and answers them, by praying today's
psalm, Psalm 30.
Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings
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