Reflection on the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s focus is on faith and courage. We need both. There are two miracles in Mark’s Gospel for today, two of four that explore the power of Jesus during this visit to the Sea of Galilee. Last week we heard about the command to the storm to stop in order to calm his terrified disciples. The other, which is not included in any of the Sunday readings, is the healing of the man from Gerasene who was possessed by a demon. Mark uses all four as a way to demonstrate the amazing power of Jesus.

Jairus was a man of some importance in the community as a synagogue official. He was also the very anxious and concerned father of a precious daughter who was dying. Perhaps she had been ill for some time and was gradually declining, we don’t know. He obviously loved her, and watching her slowly die broke his heart. He would have felt helpless to do anything about it. Nothing had worked, and he was desperate. He had heard about Jesus and in a last hope, summed up his courage to ask publicly for his help. Jesus quickly responds and starts off with him to his home. But then Jesus is interrupted, and I can imagine Jairus standing there impatiently, shifting from one foot to the other and thinking “Come on, Jesus, hurry up. My precious daughter is dying.”

The interruption came from a woman, who was not dying but very poor and desperate to find a cure for her long illness. She had lost any money she had looking for a physician who could do something to help her. Each unsuccessful attempt made her more desperate. She was discouraged, depressed and physically exhausted from loss of blood. What to do next. Nothing has worked so far but then she sees Jesus in the midst of a large crowd. Maybe, just maybe, he is the answer. It is worth a try. She summons up courage, joins those gathered around him and moves close enough to reach out and touch him. She doesn’t tell anyone what she is doing; she just hopes something will come of her action. 

There was no apparent reason for Jesus to respond since he was surrounded by people pushing and bumping him and one another. Her touch would be just another touch from one of those around him. But Jesus felt power leave him and turned quickly to ask, “Who touched me?” Some bystanders snicker: What a dumb question in this crowd. I’m sure the woman was amazed – she felt immediately in her body that she has been cured. How did he know that something had happened? He hadn’t seen her – he didn’t even know who she was. Should she be afraid or confess? She summoned up her courage once again and acknowledges that she is the one. Jesus simply tells her gently to be at peace and go back to her life, a much better life. She might have asked herself, “Did this really happen or am I dreaming?”

Back to Jairus. Finally, we can get on the road. The message arrives that the daughter has died, and Jesus ignores it, which must have left Jairus wondering. Shooing away the mourners, he  simply helps the girl up, very much alive. But then, strangely, he tells them not to tell anyone what he has done. Did he really believe that could possibly happen?

The contrast between these two figures is interesting. They are male and female, well-off and poor, a person well-situated with family and in community, a widow alone and  struggling to stay afloat. One approaches Jesus publicly and the other unnoticed and fearfully. Their commonality is acting in faith and courage.

We need both of these virtues in our lives. We need faith in God and in one another as we work our way through the upcoming elections and decisions. We need courage to face the future squarely, knowing that we need to do this work of fulfillment and strive to get everything in place. Just because I am 92 doesn’t give me the right not to do what I can. It’s our work, all of us. Each of us has something to contribute whether from the voice of experience or lending our support through prayer. This is the work we are called to do at this point in our lives. May we continue to do it with faith and courage.

To be a follower of Jesus is to be called Christian. The basic requirement is to love God and neighbor. This Loretto Community is an example of this as we educate and work for peace and justice. There are thousands of individuals in this country who are truly Christian whether they call themselves that or not because they love God by loving their neighbor. Simple acts of kindness, respect for others and compassion are hallmarks of their behavior. They may not be churchgoers or believe in the various doctrines, but they have caught the message of what is most important in life. This makes me think of Anthony Drury, Shannon’s husband, who died while mowing his neighbor’s grass.

On the other hand we call ourselves a Christian nation. Are we? How Christian are we in our politics, our policies toward other countries, our continued production of nuclear weapons, our attitude toward the immigrants, our racism and other forms of prejudice. Do we make policies that assure the care of the poor and elderly? Do we have the courage to stand up to the NRA?  Are we a Christian nation? 

As Rev. Charles Amjed-Ali, a minister and educator introduced to us recently by Nasreen, demonstrated that many U.S. Christians follow politics, not Jesus. If our government policies and politicians think it fashionable to consider Iran as an enemy, then the people begin to look at all Muslims with suspicion. If the Japanese were once considered our enemy then we still have a right to discriminate against them. 

Our task: to continue to use our faith and courage to demonstrate a better way to live, to be watchful and alert to what our government is doing, advocating for the oppressed and trying to make our voices heard.