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"Death No More": A Reflection on The Gospel For July 1st, 2018: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

29/6/2018

Mark 5:21-43

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Ja'irus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." 29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who touched me?'" 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 36 But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Tal'itha cu'mi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42 And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

“Overwhelmed” is the word that comes to me when I read this raising story in Mark’s Gospel. In it we meet Jairus, a respected leader in the synagogue. His daughter is dying. Every effort to save her has failed, and Jairus now is overwhelmed by desperation. He no longer cares what others think about him; he is simply driven to get help. Jairus turns to Jesus. In front of a “great” crowd, he falls on his knees, begging Jesus to lay hands on his daughter and make her well. Jesus is moved with compassion and leaves the crowd to go with him. On the way, when Jairus receives the very news he is dreading—his daughter has died—Jesus encourages him: “Do not fear, only believe.” And Jairus carries on.

When they arrive at Jairus’ house, they meet people who tell them the daughter has died; it is too late. But Jesus dismisses them. Then He calls into the home those who are willing to believe—Jairus and his wife, and Peter, James and John—and there they witness a miracle: the power of Jesus to overcome death.

Our Church is living this story today. As death threatened the daughter of Jairus, death threatens many parishes in the Church throughout the world. We may feel desperate, but like Jairus, we need to throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus. We need to ask Him to come into our parishes, lay His hands on our Church communities and restore us to life. And, as He did in this Gospel story, Jesus will come. He will send away those who say it is too late, and He will raise up those courageous enough to believe and to act.

Jairus touches my heart not because he had easy faith but because, when he was desperate, he found the courage to believe in the Messiah and then to seek Him out. Sometimes we must hit a wall of failure before we find true courage. Then, to make progress, we must turn away from that wall and walk in another direction.

Praise to our God, who has power over death in all its forms.

Donna Davis

"We need to ask Him to come into our parishes, lay His hands on our Church communities and restore us to life." - Donna Davis (Ora Reflections)

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"The Grace in Giving": A Reflection on The Second Reading For July 1st, 2018: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

28/6/2018

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2 Corinthians 8:7,9, 13 -15 New Jerusalem version

7 ...as you are rich in everything you excel in everything - faith, eloquence of speech, in knowledge and understanding, concern for everything, and love for us - then make sure that you excel in this work of generosity too.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

I have known both poverty and affluence in my life. The ebb and flow from struggling to make ends meet, to times when I had more than enough, created in me much of what we hear from today’s message.

When I was down and out, I had to rely on the generosity of others. It was humbling to be on the receiving end of people’s kindness, and it somehow drew me closer to God. In receiving the kindness of others, I knew it was God’s way of looking after me. After all, whose hands can He use other than those of the hearts who are open to his will?

In this reading, I am struck by the lines: “Excel in this grace of giving…” and “test the genuineness of your love against the concern of others”.

We are called to look after the poor, not just because they are in need, but because much is expected of those who have been given much. So, now that I am in a position where I can help others, I do so with little-to-no-fanfare. I know there is as much grace within the person on the receiving end, as there is in the giver.

The grace in the receiver is evident by their gratitude for the giver’s recognition of their dignity. They are also humbled because it is not easy being the person in need. The grace in the giver is their gratitude for having more than enough, and also their humility in knowing the gifts that are given are only what God has supplied.

The attitude of gratitude and the stance of humility are what make us the richest and most blessed of all peoples. Both virtues are represented in verse 9: “...that though he (Jesus) was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Let us pray: Lord, soften my heart, and bring me to my knees often enough to know the fullness of your love for me and for those in need. Remind me constantly that You are the giver of all good things. Whether in riches or in poverty, keep me faithful to your will, and bless me and all peoples with the gifts of humility and gratitude. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Patricia Cosgrove

"...whose hands can He use other than those of the hearts who are open to his will?" - Patricia Cosgrove (Ora Reflections)

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"Reflect. Respond. Repeat." A Reflection on The Psalm for July 1st, 2018: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

27/6/2018

5 Comments

Psalm 30

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper! You have turned my mourning into dancing. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

Reflect. Respond. Repeat.

This describes for me what I need to do with the psalms because I often dismiss them as the “musical interlude” between readings. Psalms feel like the infamous middle child—the one who gets lost in the shuffle of the attention given to the sibling(s) that came before and after them. Yet the psalms hold so much richness. In reading them, we get a poetic glimpse into the trials and tribulations of the early life of the Chosen People. We learn of their relationship with our God. And don’t we all need to learn a thing or two about how to make a connection with the One who created us for relationship with Him?

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

When was the last time I extolled (enthusiastically praised) God? Everyday I “talk” to Him. I do so at various points in my day—first thing in the morning, in traffic, after a tough meeting at work, waiting in line for my coffee, etc. But many times my talk is a laundry list of things that I would like God to do for me. And sadly, intentionally thanking God for all the many blessings He presents right in front of me is not always the first thing on the top of that list. What would happen if my talking was more of a conversation where I actually listened as well? If I want God to raise me up, I actually have to give Him the space to do that.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

How many times has God raised me up? More times than I even realize! I notice it most during those moments when “weeping may linger for the night”. Somehow, some way, I can reach into the deep well that is my faith—even when I think it’s dry—and still find God there assuring me that “joy comes with the morning”. This deep faith does not come simply, or overnight, but it is a faith that is fed by continually responding to Love by sharing love with others. In letting God raise me up, I am compelled to raise others up.

I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

Slowly and surely, along this journey of becoming who and what God calls me to be, I build a relationship with Him who made me. I learn how to develop this bond from those who did so before me—be they prophets, teachers, saints, sinners, or psalmists. And in turn, I hope to leave a bit of wisdom to help those after me who will seek the same transformative, life-giving, ever-evolving relationship. A relationship that continues to be so, as long as I remember to…

Reflect. Respond. Repeat.

Aurea Sadi

"In letting God raise me up, I am compelled to raise others up."
- Aurea Sadi (Ora Reflections)

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"Choose Wisely": A Reflection on the First Reading for July 1st: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

26/6/2018

1 Comment

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

1 13 because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. 14 For he created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. 15 For righteousness is immortal. 2 23 for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, 24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.

I work with young adults in university through Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO), and the questions they ask me most often are, “If God is a good God, why is there war?” “Why is there illness?” “Why did He take away the person I loved the most?” I honestly ask these same questions myself, at times, especially when I’m going through something difficult.

But the harsh truth is, that we, in our humanity, did this to ourselves. It started with our first parents, Adam and Eve. We’ve been running through this cycle of “free will” for ages—moving toward God, then separating from Him. It was our separation from God which brought sin and death into this world. Why did God allow that to happen? Because God is a good Father and He wanted His children to make their own choice; He wanted them to freely choose Him.

We messed up—and we still manage to mess up daily. We still have this exact same freedom God gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which is why bad things still happen here on earth. God, though, does not want these things to happen to us, which is why He sent His only Son into this world to die for each and every one of us. Jesus freely chose to save us from sin and death so that we can have eternal life, and be reunited with our Father.

God knows that we are going to fail over and over again, and that we are not perfect. He wants us to freely come to His Son: to be baptized, to believe, and to repent. Let us make the choice to live for eternity every day, as He invites us to. No matter how far away you feel from Him, He is waiting for you. The gap between humanity and God has been restored through Jesus—we are made new. That is the good news!

Now, here is my challenge for you (if you feel called). When was the last time you received the sacrament of reconciliation? If it’s been over 3 months (like myself), I challenge you to go sometime this week. Make that choice to repent, and to be made new again. God created us in His own image. He who is perfect made us worthy of His love again. Let us remember the cross, and be thankful for Him daily.

Erica Gould

"No matter how far away you feel from Him, He is waiting for you."
- Erica Gould (Ora Reflections)

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