“The badge of courage does not
require that we walk through something dangerous. It simply requires that we
continue to share God's love whenever and wherever we are.”
Gospel text (Mk 5,21-43):
Jesus crossed to the other side of the lake and while He was still on the
shore, a large crowd gathered around him. Jairus, an official of the synagogue,
came up and seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet and asked him earnestly,
«My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so
that she may get well and live». Jesus went with him and many people followed,
pressing from every side.
Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from
bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors
and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse.
Since she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind him and touched his
cloak thinking, «If I just touch his clothing, I shall get well». Her flow of
blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her
complaint. But Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him, so
he turned around in the crowd and asked, «Who touched my clothes?». His
disciples answered, «You see how the people are crowding around you. Why do you
ask who touched you?». But he kept looking around to see who had done it. Then
the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward trembling and afraid. She
knelt before him and told him the whole truth. Then Jesus said to her,
«Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of this
illness».
While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the
official's house to inform him, «Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master
any further?». But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, «Do not
fear, just believe». And He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James
and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a great
commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus entered and said to
them, «Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep».
They laughed at him. But Jesus sent them outside and went with the child's
father and mother and his companions into the room where the child lay. Taking
her by the hand, he said to her, «Talitha kumi!» which means: “Little girl, get
up!”. The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years
old.) The parents were astonished, greatly astonished. Jesus strictly ordered
them not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to
eat.
The dictionary defines 'fear' as
"an emotional reaction to a perceived threat of evil to our
well-being." Fear, then, is an emotional reaction. We can be afraid of
things that are not actually evil, even though they might be perceived as
such. That which we fear could actually help us grow in faith. For example, a
severe downturn in the economy could compel us to turn to the Lord, walk more
closely with Him, and trust Him more than ever before. However, there are
some things we should fear. We teach children to fear things that can harm
them, such as a hot burner on the stove. As adults, we should be especially
afraid of things that can harm our soul.
To overcome fear, we need faith (Mk
5:36). The synagogue official and the woman with the chronic bleeding both
broke through any fears to come to Jesus. The synagogue official risked
ruining his reputation with his Jewish peers. The bleeding woman was
'unclean'; she would have been fearful of passing on her uncleanness to
anyone who touched her (see Lv 13:45). Nonetheless, each stepped past that
emotional reaction of fear and stepped out in faith.
Of what should you be afraid? Be
afraid of not becoming all that Jesus wants you to be.
Today at Mass, when
you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, give over to the Lord that one powerful
fear that keeps you from becoming the disciple God wants you to be. Surrender
your fear today and let Jesus put it away forever.
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