Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: ‘Mark 5:24-43’
Today’s Gospel tells us of a story of two miracles performed by Jesus on the same day. It also involves two people who had no one else to turn to so they came to Jesus—two people whose faith and trust assured them that God would take care of them.
We could say that a miracle can be one of those times when things get out of control in a good way.
God interrupts our orderly existence with something wonderful that does not fit our notions of orderliness or routine. We need those moments in our memories for when things go out of control in a bad way.
For each one of us, there comes a day when we feel like our lives have fallen apart. We go along day after day doing our best in raising our children, getting fit and healthy, paying our bills on time.
The years go by, and we begin to think that we are in control of our lives, that everything will be okay. We just need to do our best.
Then, perhaps, in one glimpse, things can go spiraling down like losing your job or becoming ill, and we begin to feel that we have lost control.
Remember Jesus’ words when He spoke of faith: “Daughter, your faith has made you well,” and “Don’t be afraid, just have faith.”
Whatever it is we think is missing in our lives, no money or material possession can fill that void. No job, fame or prestige will make us whole. The peace and wholeness we wished for becomes as elusive as it ever was.
Maybe we have tried everything, maybe we have searched to fill the emptiness inside, maybe we have tried everything to find satisfaction, but it remains out of our reach.
Try Jesus, reach out and touch Him.
We have tried everything else, now let’s try Jesus. He heals our brokenness, He heals our pain.
He can help us find that peace and joy that we have been searching for. Just, this time, it is no longer in vain because of the faith that holds us.
When we begin to seek God, we find the peace that has been eluding us for so long. A longing for a close encounter with Him changes everything.
Jesus reaches out to us even if we don’t. When we make that step to seek Him and reach out to Him, we realize what has been missing all this time.
That close encounter brings us peace, and our lives will never be the same again.