13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Vinner)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Our reading today from St. Mark’s gospel tells the story of 2 daughters – two females who at first glance could not appear more different – but upon close examination are very much alike. This narrative method has often been called the “Markan Sandwich”.

Like an OREO COOKIE – St. Mark usually uses this technique to call attention to the middle story using the outer story to FRAME & INTERPRET the inner narrative.

The mass of people at the house where Jesus went to heal her were so crowded and so noisy  people falling all over themselves trying to help out that Jesus had to “thin out the crowd” just to do His healing work. The father’s urgent request for Jesus to come touch this little girl was ACTED OUT before an adoring public cheering for her healing although the healing itself occurred in private with a command to keep the story quiet.

Now – the woman with the “blood issue” was from the “other side of the tracks” when it came to community respectability. Her illness did not seem as lethal as that of the daughter of Jairus. She still had enough strength to move about in the crowd even with her affliction.There are at least 5 narrative links holding these two stories together.

The FIRST – that these two are “intertwined” stories of two women JOINED BY SUFFERING is the number of the years that the bleeding woman had suffered – twelve.

And the age of Jairus’s daughter?  Twelve. Coincidence?  Maybe. But recall that the number 12 is a significant number – it is mentioned 187 times in the Bible. Just 3 examples – the 12 tribes of Israel – 12 Apostles – in REV 21 – the 12 gates of the celestial city. But beyond that – could St. Mark maybe be using this narrative to “TIE” the two stories together? Perhaps.

SECOND – both healings involved PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH JESUS. The woman touched Him – while He reached out His hand and touched the daughter of Jairus. Well – Jesus could – and did – heal without direct physical touch in the gospels – BUT both of these stories involve the ARC of healing flowing across the reality of PHYSICAL contact with Jesus.

THIRD – we could assume that Jairus and his wife had consulted all the normal courses of medical care as his daughter’s health sunk to the point of death – and now he was at the point of desperation. The loss of a child to illness or accident is every parent’s worst nightmare. Yes Jairus is DESPERATE!

At this stage in the plot of St. Mark’s Gospel – the synagogue leaders had emerged as hostile or suspicious to Jesus. So Jairus certainly took some RISK in the eyes of his colleagues to approach Jesus for a miracle. Of course – when your daughter’s life hangs in the balance – most of us would do whatever that might save her life – and certainly – even abandon our fears of what others would think about us.

Now – to the other woman – we know from St. Mark’s text that the woman with the hemorrhage had spent all of her money going through all the normal courses of medical doctors –  And she was reduced to her DESPERATE REACH of FAITH & COURAGE – she was “at the end of her rope” – just like Jairus. 

FOURTH we clearly sense that the 12 year old daughter of Jairus was a beloved daughter of a very fine family. Just listen to the depth in his voice as he approached Jesus with the plea: “My daughter is at the point of death. PLEASE COME…….”The beloved status of the older – suffering woman is NOT nearly so obvious – given how outcast she has been in that society – which is probably the reason Jesus called her “daughter” as he healed her. No matter what others had said – she was STILL her Heavenly Father’s little girl — she was still a DAUGHTER of God – just as much as that precious innocent 12 year old girl of the finest – upstanding family in the community.

FINALLY both healings involved FAITH.

The woman’s faith allowed her to step over her fear of rejection or her fear of failure to touch Jesus in the crowd and to step forward when Jesus called her. And when it seemed too late for healing his deceased daughter – Jesus told Jairus: “Do NOT be afraid. Just have faith.”

The healing was a gift from a loving HEAVENLY FATHER for both of these beloved daughters – and the RESPONSE of faith was REQUIRED from Jairus and the woman to receive and trust the healing power of God’s love. So these were two very similar women after all. What does this Gospel passage then say to us here today?

Well – most- if not all of us in this church today have:- Some problem – Some worry – Some concern- Some cross to bear. When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion in a few minutes – we inter into a communion with Him – we become living tabernacles – “Touching” Jesus in a most intimate manner.

When we go back to our pews we should pray for the Grace to TRUST that God loves us more than we love ourselves. We should pray for the grace to Trust that God is a loving Father Who is always at our side. No matter how old we get – or how sinful we get – we are all God’s beloved DAUGHTERS or God’s beloved SONS.

May God Bless us all

FR. S.Vinner HGN