Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 30, 2024 - 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Wis 1:13-15, 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35-43]"Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction...." "Do not be afraid; just have faith...." [Mark]
The evangelist Mark, on more than one occasion, places a story within a story if the two stories have some similarity. We saw this earlier with Jesus' response to his family and to the scribes and Pharisees, both of which thought he was possessed. [Mark 3:20-35] Today, two stories of healing in response to faith and doubt. The figures of faith are the synagogue official and the woman with the hemorrhages. The doubters are the crowd surrounding Jesus and the mourners at the home of the official (elsewhere named "Jairus").
Faith, in the face of the unknown and under dire stress, is common enough among those who are believers. But the world around us suggests that only human scientific endeavors can help, and if those can't help, then nothing can be done. Faith is dismissed as a kind of psychological "crutch" that helps but really has no referent beyond our "wishful thinking." Christianity stands up for "the miraculous" and, indeed, in the Catholic church, miracles are a testimony to the power of faith (e.g. for recognition as a "blessed" or "saint"). We are told in the Gospel According to Mark that in visiting his own town, Nazareth, Jeus "was not able to perform any mighty deeds there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. [Mark 6:5-6]
God can work miracles even for those who do not believe or are at least skeptical of the miraculous. There are times when one must simply leave matters "in the hands of God" when our own efforts are not succeeding. But the miraculous occurs every time we celebrate the Eucharist when the Holy Spirit transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ! This does not happen in the face of disbelief but in response to our gathering in faith to ask for this great gift. If we need testimony, the stories of the synagogue official and the sick lady are there to remind us. AMEN