Tuesday of the
4th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Blaise
February 3, 2015 6:30am
In today’s gospel, Saint Mark has sandwiched together 2 healing
stories, one of a 12-year old girl and the other of a woman who has suffered
from hemorrhages for 12 years
He begins the story of the girl, then stops it and inserts story of the
woman, and then returns and finishes story of the young girl.
Both stories focus on faith as the cause of their healings.
For the young girl, it is her father’s faith in Jesus.
For the woman, it is her own faith in Jesus.
The two stories play off one another.
They reinforce one another in showing what is involved in faith and in
healing or our being made whole by the Lord.
I think we can see four steps or elements that are involved.
First, there is risk for both the father and the woman in approaching Jesus.
In truth, there is always some risk when we believe or make an act of
faith.
Second, both the father of the girl and the woman with the hemorrhages show
a certain boldness in approaching Jesus.
They are daring and put aside what others may think of them.
Third, both of them also show confidence.
They trust that Jesus has the power to heal.
Fourth and last, both the little girl and the woman experience the healing
power of Jesus by coming into contact with him.
They need to experience him personally, up close, and it is this that
brings them healing, wholeness, and transformation.
So, I would say that our becoming whole or holy or transformed persons can
also come about by our taking the risk, our being bold, our having trust in
Jesus.
That is what I see as the
powerful lesson of these two wonderful stories in today’s gospel.
