Twelve and Twelve

~~~ Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 ~~~ 

~~~Psalm 30 ~~2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15~~ Mark 5:21-43 ~~~

“Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

I have written here on this blog
many times about this Gospel story.
It is one of my favorites.

This story has something for everyone...
man, woman, adult, child, young, old,
lengthy illness, sudden illness,
military, civilian and much more
than I even realize today.

The story begins with Jairus coming to Jesus on behalf
of his own daughter who has taken ill.

He risked a great deal by stepping
away from the military protocol.

In the crowd was the woman with the blood issue.
She had lived her last twelve years as an outcast...unclean.
She was not allowed to associate with others.
She also risked a great deal by mingling
with the crowd on the street that day.

Perhaps she felt that she could get lost
within the crowd and gradually work her way close enough
 to reach the hem of Jesus' garment.

She had no idea that Jesus would be able to detect the power
 of healing releasing from his body.

The soldier had no way of knowing that the very call
from the lips of Jesus would restore life to his daughter.

 “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

The little girl of twelve had her whole life ahead of her.
The adult woman had been suffering for twelve years.
She had lost twelve years of her life.

The soldier interceded for his daughter.
The woman came to Jesus on her own behalf.

God recognizes and responds to our faith.
He also reminds us that there is no need
 to have fear when we have our faith.

Faith will sustain us when fear is trying to weaken our spirit.

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

This verse is important for us today.
No matter what you are facing in your life today
the faith you have in God is stronger.

Blessed in times of greatest need.
~~~Peace~~~

Let Your Faith Prevail

~~~ Hebrews 12:1-4 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Mark 5:21-43 ~~~

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

At times it is impossible to escape being afraid...

no matter what you tell yourself the fears,

whether real or imagined,

torment you.

Both the synagogue official 

and the hemorrhagic woman

were able to overcome their fears...

they were both able to let their faith 

become stronger. 

It is well known that whatever you pay attention to 

and nourish in your life will become stronger and brighter.

It is our faith that must prevail over

 all other circumstances.

It is so common in life to be overwhelmed 

with things we do not understand.

All we can really do is let our 

faith be what sustains us.

Jesus responded to one person after the other 

often based upon their faith alone.

Jesus put great weight on the faith 

of just one individual.

Sometime they exercised

 their faith on behalf of another...

sometimes it was with their words...

and sometimes it was simply

 to touch the bottom of his cloak.

There is no gesture...no words...

when inspired by faith,

 that will be left unheard by God.

The more we consciously use our faith 

the more natural it will become.

The more we will be Blessed.

~~~Peace~~~

Can You Hear with Your Heart?

~~~ Hosea 2:16, 17C-18, 21-22 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Matthew 9:18-26 ~~~

Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.

Yesterday we were given the beautiful image
 of Jesus calling us to bring our burdens to him.
Today we see two vivid examples of what it means to come to Jesus.
Jesus knows our heart...Jesus speaks to our heart.
Jesus lures all goodness to himself and passes it on to us.

The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.

Jesus responds with love and compassion
to each person who approaches him.
He listens and acts according to the divine plan.
It does not matter who you are...young, old,
physically or mentally ill,
government official or poor widow...
Jesus takes action.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father.
Those who seek out the healing touch and words of Jesus
either have their existing faith increased or they are
blessed with the gift of faith.

Our very soul cries out and longs to know the Lord.
Speak to Jesus of your needs and concerns.
Bring your personal burdens to him.

“If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”

Even if your faith only moves you to touch the tip of his tassel
he knows you are there...he knows your fears.
He alone knows how best to answer your prayers.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Always in all ways.
He blesses us with his compassionate heart.
He blesses us with his healing touch.
He blesses us with his words of encouragement.

“Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.”

Such beautiful words to carry in your heart
through out your whole life.

~~~Peace~~~

Sorrow...Loss

~~~ 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3 ~~~ Psalm 86 ~~~ Mark 5:21-43 ~~~

More than anything a parent wants what is best for their child.
David now mourns over the death of Absalom as a result
of his hair getting tangled in a tree.

Who could have guessed?
The beauty of his long flowing hair would result in his death.

Because he cannot escape from the tree branches,
 Absalom becomes an easy target.

The king was shaken,
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!

No matter how much we are hurt by our children
 the underlying love mostly remains constant.
Even though Absalom wanted to over throw his father,
David still loved him.
His love was made evident in his weeping at the death of his son.

The Gospel today is one I have written about many times here on this blog.

Living Faith the Hemorrhagic Woman

Here is one previous post about this passage...
an official, an ill child, and a desperate woman
joined together for one purpose...calling out for God
to hear their broken hearts.

How does one's heart heal after losing a child?
This is not the death order we often imagine.
We believe the young should be allowed
to have their future days before them.

The undercurrent is always driven by great love.

How can we begin to express
our gratitude for every way in which God finds to bless us?
So many times in ways we could not envision on our own.
Peace be with you.

"Do Not Be Afraid; Just Have Faith"

~~~ Hebrews 12:1-4 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Mark 5:21-43 ~~~

 

When Jesus had crossed to the other side...

one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him, Jesus, 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.”

...There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.

 “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”

 “Who has touched my clothes?”

 

“Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

 

 

This story is included by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Perhaps it is one of the most important messages about faith.

In this year of faith it is fitting that we should examine and reflect upon this gospel.

 

I invite you to spend some extra time with this gospel today.

Try to put yourself into the scene.

Look at how you exercise your faith.

 

Is it like the synagogue official Jairus?

Do you sneak over to the Lord in fear of reproach?

 

Is your faith more like the afflicted woman?

Do you believe when all else has failed?

Do you believe because someone else told you of his healing power?

Do you believe as a last resort? She was ill for twelve years.

 

 

Do you believe as a child?

She knew her father would do everything in his power to make her better.

The child, of twelve, may not have heard of this man called Jesus,

but her father knew of him.

Her father interceded on her behalf.

 

Do you wait for others to intercede on your behalf?

Is your faith pure like that of a child?

 

When did you begin to doubt?

How can you strengthen your own faith?

 

I do not have the answers each of you need today.

I look for examples of faith...

in others as well as in my own life.

Pay attention when you are exercising your faith.

It is a great gift we have been given.

We can actually believe that which we cannot see.

Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist every time we receive the bread and wine.

Be a Blessing to someone in need today.

Courage in the Desert

~~~ Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Matthew 9: 18-26 ~~~

"...Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart."

Today we are given Matthew's brief version of the Sunday Gospel we had earlier

this month from Mark of the hemorrhagic woman.

...A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."
And from that hour the woman was cured.

This woman was in what most would consider the desert of her life.

The desert is often used as an analogy to describe a time spent away

from ones normal life.

The time in the desert can be confusing; one can feel hopeless even lost.

The heat the sun the sand the parched ground come together as 

the picture of hopelessness.

God did allure this woman's heart to seek out Jesus even though

she was 'in the desert'.

God gave her the strength she needed to find Jesus.

If this woman had not been suffering with this affliction

we do not know if she would have sought out Jesus.

Our pastor recently said God sometimes leads us into the desert so we can

find him there. When you are in the desert God may be the only one

who can minister to your heart and lead you to the pool of cool water.
The desert appears to be lifeless to the casual observer, but if you look closely

you will see that even the desert is filled with life.

Life in the desert is not easy to detect as it

camouflage's well with the sandy background.

At some point in our life we each encounter the desert.

Always remember that God is with you especially in desert times.

Even when you cannot find him; he is there.

It does take courage to survive in the desert.

Let your faith lead you to the one who speaks to your heart.

He knows the way through the sand pits of the desert.

Follow the trail of his tassel as it traces in the sand.

He knows the way!

The Touch of Faith

~~~ Ephesians 2: 19-22 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 20:24-29 ~~~

...blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe...

It struck me today listening to the gospel reading about St. Thomas how he is representing us in so many ways. Even though Thomas, being one of the twelve, had a personal relationship with Jesus it was not enough.

No matter how close we think we are to God there are times in our life when we need more. The hemorrhagic woman needed only to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, but that would not have satisfied the needs of Thomas. Thomas, for whatever reason, needed to touch the physical body of Jesus.

Thomas had had many encounters with Jesus. Thomas had walked many roads with Jesus. Thomas had dined beside Jesus. Thomas had seen the lame walk, the blind see, the leper cured. Still, he needed more proof to believe in the Resurrection.

Are we not the same way? We have signs of the presence of God all around us each day, but often we want more. The hemorrhagic woman believed without the benefit of having witnessed together with the apostles the sheer power of God.

This woman believed because of what she had heard from others; not what she had seen with her own eyes.

There are no limits to what God will do to help dissolve our unbelief.

He gives us the grace every day to increase our faith; if we but open our hearts.

Thomas did not have an app capable of receiving a real time picture from Peter of Jesus standing in their midst. Thomas wanted to believe, but his doubt was too overwhelming. He did not want to be singled out among the others by Jesus.

Jesus reached out to Thomas knowing he was struggling with his faith. Jesus, himself, wanted to increase Thomas' faith.

In our human frailty we are all looking for signs of the presence of God.

We want to touch God, but we also want to be touched by God.

We go through all sorts of rituals to set the stage if you will for a personal encounter with the Lord. But this is exactly where our hearts can become troubled. If we do not have a physically moving emotional experience we set ourselves up to doubt his presence. If we never have a touching emotional experience in our prayer life it does not mean that God is not present.

God is with us remember, Emmanuel? He touches us even if we are not falling to the ground. God can touch you with the gift of profound inner peace.

In the silent recesses of our heart God can deeply touch us. He can heal our brokenness from a distance without trembling and shaking or bells and whistles.

As I was recently reminded; when we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist he is so with us in the true living sense.

We have been provided this week two different yet similar stories of faith.

Which one do most connect with...the hemorrhagic woman who touched his hem

from behind in a crowd or Thomas who came face to face with Jesus

surrounded by his small community of followers?

In both instances Jesus was the source for their increase of faith.

It is Jesus who knows best what we need to believe and often

it is not what 'we' thought at all.

Each time you receive Eucharist respond with a strong 'Amen'

and in your heart say 'I do believe'. We are blessed beyond comprehension

 with his presence in the Eucharist. We are allowed to touch him

in the palm of our hands...on our tongue...and in our being.

Lift your hands up to believe again each time you receive.

As Paul says, we "are no longer strangers and sojourners,

but fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God..."

"...you also are being built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

You are invited to 'Go out to all of the world and tell the Good News."

(Mark 16:15)

God has done great things for you.

...blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe...

Skip past the opening add to access the music
I Lift My Hands
Chris Tomlin
http://youtu.be/dbNK50T35wY

Close Encounters

 1Samuel 24:3-21

Today I am writing about 'close encounters', not of the third kind as in the science-fiction movie, but encounters with the Lord.

We hear in chapter 24 of Samuel, about David's 'close encounter' with Saul. Saul is once again obsessed with tracking down David and killing him.

Let's enter into the story where we discover that Saul has indeed found the hiding place of David. In a surprising turn of events, David chooses not to reveal his presence. Instead David quietly approaches hidden in the darkness of the cave to cut off the end of Saul's cloak...our first 'close encounter'.

David wants to prove to Saul that he was indeed close enough to kill him, but he does not commit the evil act. Through the grace of God David stops himself from this disaster. Later Saul, most touched with David's ability to hear the Lord and act accordingly, admits that he was wrong.

Now jump with me into the Gospel of Mark 5: 25-34. Here we have the well known story of the hemorrhagic woman. In this scene we have Jesus walking with a crowd of his followers. Hearing of his healing powers this woman who had been suffering for twelve years scrambles through the crowd to touch just the tip of his garment. She believes if she can just touch the bottom of his clothing she will be healed. Another 'close encounter'! this time we have a physical healing and Jesus feels his power being tapped into. Jesus immediately aks, 'Who has touched me?'

I am struck by the parallels in these two stories. The first is shrouded in darkness, covered in lies and secrecy. The garment is actually cut and the owner has no idea anything has happened. The crowd here is one of brutal physical strength...soldiers. The intent is to do evil.

The second 'close encounter' is in the daylight filled with faith and hope. The hem of the garment is only briefly touched as Jesus is walking in the crowd. This crowd is surrounding the goodness of God witnessing the healing touch of Jesus. Jesus, realizing what has happened with the touch confirms the womans faith. Jesus blesses her with the words of healing. What a beautiful 'close encounter'!

We too can experience a personal 'close encounter' with God. Each time we attend Mass and receive Eucharist we are having our very own personal 'close encounter'.

My question is are we like Saul unaware of the Lord's presence or are we like the Hemorrhagic Woman eager to be in the presence of the Lord? When we receive Eucharist we are truly having a real personal 'close encounter' with the Lord. He is touching us in the host we receive.

I invite you to joyfully believe that as you recieve the host Jesus desires to have this 'close encounter' with you. We come to the altar of the Lord admidst light and usually song. We do not come as David. We do not come as the bleeding woman. We come because we are children of God and we have been called ny name. We come because we believe in the power of his forgiveness and love.

Original image is of the sanctuary during the Easter season. I chose this image because it is the place where we have our 'close encounter' with God.

This kaleidoscope cpatures for me the light, darkness, and the intimacy of our

'close encounters'.

May you experience the touch of the Lord in your life.