13th Sunday in the Ordinary Time of the Year
Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 2 Corinthians8:7.9.13-15 Mark 5:21-43
Theme: Jesus the giver of life
Today is the 13th Sunday of the Year B in the Ordinary Time. Today we are presented with a God that is the giver of life as seen in our liturgy; in all the three readings we have today. The 1st reading from the book of wisdom makes it very clear that God’s design for humans is life in abundance, fullness of life. It is through the devil, our sins and way of life that we hinder the blessings of God in our lives. Jesus is the giver and restorer of life. In the second reading we are told that we are rich. He is poor and in his poverty He made us rich. You and I are privileged people; we are privileged to serve a God that is selfless, a God that thinks about us, and a God that works for our good. In the Gospel reading, we have so much to learn from the wonderful God that we serve. This is seen in the two miracles presented by Jesus. The first one is the miracle about the woman with the issue of blood, and was suffering from hemorrhage for about 12 years and the second is the raising up of the daughter of Jairus the synagogue official. In the gospel reading we see the faith that is presented by the synagogue official and the woman suffering from hemorrhage.
Jesus is concerned about our wellbeing at all times. This is seen in the healing of the woman suffering from hemorrhage, and also the raising up of the daughter of Jairus. An important question is, if you were the synagogue official, will you wait patiently for the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, knowing fully well that your daughter is at the point of death? That singular action was a sign that he had great faith in Jesus. At the end of the day, the daughter died, but Jesus still restored her to life. That simply tells us that with God he never comes late.
Humanly speaking we may say that Jesus was late when the news of the death of the girl was delivered, but Jesus showed us that He is never late. Jesus comes at his appointed time and when it matters most. An important message for us on this 13th Sunday is that we serve a God that has all the answers to our questions and solution to our problems. No man has the power to take the life that God has given us without his consent. It is only God who has the power to take it. This should strengthen our faith in God as his followers at all times, no matter the situation we find ourselves in life.
The faith of these two people in the gospel should strengthen our faith in God. It is important that in our relationship with God, we have to learn to be patient and take things at his own pace, since he never comes late in any given situation. As long as we journey in faith with God, we can be rest assured that we are part of the winning team, we are on the winning side, and we have no reason to be afraid. We serve a God that is faithful to his promises and can never disappoint all those who trust in him. Always remember this in times of difficulties and challenges in life, have faith and remain steadfast; he will never disappoint you.
May God increase our faith through Christ our Lord. Peace be with you.