She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction

Heb 12,1-4; Ps 21; Mk 5,21-43
5 FEBRUARY

Faith is a relationship of the purest truth with the Person who is the source of our life. Man is always poor in all life. He lost it with his sin. For his disobedience he entered into death. He might draw life only in his God, who is eternal life and the source of all life. The Father has placed his eternal life in Christ Jesus. For us Christ is the source, the fountain, the well and the cistern from which the living water that gives all life comes. Before Christ, the relationships of faith are many. We can say that every man has his own special and particular relationship. There is a woman. She loses her life every day. Blood is life. She cannot hold life in her body. The world that is in death cannot help her. In fact she consumes her substances running from one doctor to another, but without any success. Life runs away from her body. This woman believes in Christ, the source of life. If she can even touch the hem of his cloak, life will remain in her. The flow of blood will end forever. She approaches and touches the mantle. The blood stops flowing instantly. Jesus wants the faith of this woman to be a model for all of humanity and asks that what has happened in the secret of the heart be brought to light. Now those who are lifeless, know that Christ can give every life. For all He is life and the source of life.

When Jesus had crossed again (in the boat) to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him 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.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with haemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. (At that) they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

A father, Jairus, sees that life is abandoning his daughter, seriously ill. He resorts to Jesus and asks that he comes and stops his daughter’s life, so that it does not leave. As they move home, the daughter dies. People come to inform him and suggest him not to disturb the Master. By now life is gone and there is nothing He might do. Jesus reassures Jairus. He tells him not to fear, but to have faith. He is not only able to stop life so that it does not leave the body. He is also capable of recalling life to return to its body. That is what happens. Jesus calls life. It comes back into its body. The daughter with life is given back to the Father. Every man can lose his life in many ways and several times. He must know only one thing: only Christ is eternal life and only He is the source constituted by the Father in whom every life is drawn. Who has this faith comes, asks, knocks and comes back to life. Who does not believe, remains in his death.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us of very pure faith in Christ Jesus, the source of life.