Jesus Raises A Dead Girl And Heals A Sick Woman

JANUARY 30, 2024 - TUESDAY
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
Lectionary: 324
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
2 Sm18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

Absalom unexpectedly came up against David's servants.
He was mounted on a mule,
and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,
his hair caught fast in the tree.
He hung between heaven and earth
while the mule he had been riding ran off.
Someone saw this and reported to Joab
that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
And taking three pikes in hand,
he thrust for the heart of Absalom,
still hanging from the tree alive.
Now David was sitting between the two gates,
and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,
where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.
The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,
"If he is alone, he has good news to report."
The king said, "Step aside and remain in attendance here."
So he stepped aside and remained there.
When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,
"Let my lord the king receive the good news
that this day the LORD has taken your part,
freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you."
But the king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom safe?"
The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king
and all who rebel against you with evil intent
be as that young man!"
The king was shaken,
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
"My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!"
Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom;
and that day's victory was turned into mourning for the whole army
when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.

R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.

R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Alleluia
MT 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 5:21-43

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.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages 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.

REFLECTION:

This Gospel reading presents us with two stories about how Jesus healed people. At the end of the first of these stories Jesus gives us the key to his healing ministry when he says, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease’. The main sickness Jesus is intent on healing is that which a sense of our insignificance brings on. The remedy Jesus says is faith in his love.

In prayer, perhaps spend time talking to Jesus about his work of healing, choose some aspect of a sense of insignificance you suffer from. Dwell with the reality that we spend a lot of time trying to make a name for ourselves where it is only his profound and personal love that can give us this sense of our indestructible worth.

PRAYER:

In my need, I too can turn to him and find healing. That healing will focus on my heart – my negativity, bad moods, hurtful responses, hardness. He is always trying to help me grow in love. Then I can in turn become a tender and healing presence to those around me.

Jesus Raises A Dead Girl And Heals A Sick Woman

JANUARY 31, 2023 TUESDAY

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST (White)

CYCLE A - YEAR I

Lectionary: 324

Reading I

Heb 12:1-4

Brothers and sisters:

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us

and persevere in running the race that lies before us

while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,

the leader and perfecter of faith.

For the sake of the joy that lay before him

Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,

and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.

Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,

in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin

you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32

R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.

The lowly shall eat their fill;

they who seek the LORD shall praise him:

"May your hearts be ever merry!"

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

All the ends of the earth

shall remember and turn to the LORD;

All the families of the nations

shall bow down before him.

To him alone shall bow down

all who sleep in the earth;

Before him shall bend

all who go down into the dust.

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

And to him my soul shall live;

my descendants shall serve him.

Let the coming generation be told of the LORD

that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born

the justice he has shown.

R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

Alleluia

Mt 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 5:21-43

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.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

This Gospel reading presents us with two stories about how Jesus healed people. At the end of the first of these stories Jesus gives us the key to his healing ministry when he says, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease’. The main sickness Jesus is intent on healing is that which a sense of our insignificance brings on. The remedy Jesus says is faith in his love.

In prayer, perhaps spend time talking to Jesus about his work of healing, choose some aspect of a sense of insignificance you suffer from. Dwell with the reality that we spend a lot of time trying to make a name for ourselves where it is only his profound and personal love that can give us this sense of our indestructible worth.

PRAYER:

In my need I too can turn to him and find healing. That healing will focus on my heart – my negativity, bad moods, hurtful responses, hardness. He is always trying to help me grow in love. Then I can in turn become a tender and healing presence to those around me.

Jesus Raises A Dead Girl And Heals A Sick Woman

JULY 04, 2022, MONDAY

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 383

Reading 1 

HOS 2:16, 17C-18, 21-22

Thus says the LORD:

I will allure her;

I will lead her into the desert

and speak to her heart.

She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,

when she came up from the land of Egypt.

On that day, says the LORD,

She shall call me “My husband,”

and never again “My baal.”

I will espouse you to me forever:

I will espouse you in right and in justice,

in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the LORD.

 

Responsorial Psalm

PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;

his greatness is unsearchable.

R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Generation after generation praises your works

and proclaims your might.

They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty

and tell of your wondrous works. 

R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds

and declare your greatness.

They publish the fame of your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your justice.

R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Alleluia 

2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

MT 9:18-26

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,

knelt down before him, and said,

“My daughter has just died.

But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.

A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him

and touched the tassel on his cloak.

She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”

Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,

“Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.”

And from that hour the woman was cured.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s house

and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,

he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.”

And they ridiculed him.

When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,

and the little girl arose.

And news of this spread throughout all that land.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

In your prayer you might focus on how you touch Jesus and how he touches or moves you. This is effected by your faith, as a knowledge born of love, or of Jesus’ love for you and yours for Him. You might focus on His desire to be in a one to one relationship with you so that you get a sense of your personal significance or worth for Him. Jesus has a deep desire to touch you in this way and that you feel touched by Him.

PRAYER:

Jesus is open to the needs of a child, to the prayer of a humble woman. It may be that sometimes my great needs get in the way and attract my attention. I let myself lower my eyes and become more humble to see if I might see what Jesus sees. Help me, Lord, not to seek many great things but to pay attention to what is really important.

Little Girl, I Say To You, Arise!

FEBRUARY 01, 2022, TUESDAY
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 324

Reading I

2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

Absalom unexpectedly came up against David’s servants.

He was mounted on a mule,

and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,

his hair caught fast in the tree.

He hung between heaven and earth

while the mule he had been riding ran off.

Someone saw this and reported to Joab

that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.

And taking three pikes in hand,

he thrust for the heart of Absalom,

still hanging from the tree alive.

Now David was sitting between the two gates,

and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,

where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.

The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,

“If he is alone, he has good news to report.”

The king said, “Step aside and remain in attendance here.”

So he stepped aside and remained there.

When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,

“Let my lord the king receive the good news

that this day the LORD has taken your part,

freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you.”

But the king asked the Cushite, “Is young Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king

and all who rebel against you with evil intent

be as that young man!”

The king was shaken,

and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.

He said as he wept,

“My son Absalom!  My son, my son Absalom!

If only I had died instead of you,

Absalom, my son, my son!”

Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom;

and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army

when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.

Responsorial Psalm

86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R.        (1a)  Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,

            for I am afflicted and poor.

Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;

            save your servant who trusts in you. 

            You are my God.

R.        Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,

            for to you I call all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant,

            for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

R.        Listen, Lord, and answer me.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

            abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.

Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer

            and attend to the sound of my pleading.

R.        Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Alleluia

Mt 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 5:21-43

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.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

This Gospel reading presents us with two stories about how Jesus healed people. At the end of the first of these stories Jesus gives us the key to his healing ministry when he says, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease’. The main sickness Jesus is intent on healing is that which a sense of our insignificance brings on. The remedy Jesus says is faith in his love.

In prayer, perhaps spend time talking to Jesus about his work of healing, choose some aspect of a sense of insignificance you suffer from. Dwell with the reality that we spend a lot of time trying to make a name for ourselves where it is only his profound and personal love that can give us this sense of our indestructible worth.

PRAYER:

In my need I too can turn to him and find healing. That healing will focus on my heart – my negativity, bad moods, hurtful responses, hardness. He is always trying to help me grow in love. Then I can in turn become a tender and healing presence to those around me.

Your Faith Has Saved You

July 05, 2021, Monday
Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
(Opt. Mem.) Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (White)
(Opt. Mem.) Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Priest (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 383

Reading I
Gn 28:10-22a

Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran.
When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set,
he stopped there for the night.
Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head
and lay down to sleep at that spot.
Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens;
and God’s messengers were going up and down on it.
And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying:
“I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham
and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you are lying
I will give to you and your descendants.
These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth,
and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south.
In you and your descendants
all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.
Know that I am with you;
I will protect you wherever you go,
and bring you back to this land.
I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.”
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed,
“Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!”
In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine!
This is nothing else but an abode of God,
and that is the gateway to heaven!”
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone
that he had put under his head,
set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it.
He called the site Bethel,
whereas the former name of the town had been Luz.
Jacob then made this vow: “If God remains with me,
to protect me on this journey I am making
and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear,
and I come back safe to my father’s house, the LORD shall be my God.
This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God’s abode.”

Responsorial Psalm
91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab

R.    (see 2b)  In you, my God, I place my trust.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

R.    In you, my God, I place my trust.

For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
    from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
    and under his wings you shall take refuge. 

R.    In you, my God, I place my trust.

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
    I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in distress. 

R.    In you, my God, I place my trust.

Alleluia
See 2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 9:18-26

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
“My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
“Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.”
And from that hour the woman was cured.
When Jesus arrived at the official’s house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.”
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.

REFLECTION:

In your prayer you might focus on how you touch Jesus and how he touches or moves you. This is effected by your faith, as a knowledge born of love, or of Jesus’ love for you and yours for Him. You might focus on His desire to be in a one to one relationship with you so that you get a sense of your personal significance or worth for Him. Jesus has a deep desire to touch you in this way and that you feel touched by Him.

PRAYER:

Jesus is open to the needs of a child, to the prayer of a humble woman. It may be that sometimes my great needs get in the way and attract my attention. I let myself lower my eyes and become more humble to see if I might see what Jesus sees. Help me, Lord, not to seek many great things but to pay attention to what is really important. 

"Little Girl, I say to you, arise!”

June 27, 2021, Sunday
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 98

Reading I
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
    nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
    and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
    nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
    for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
    the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
    and they who belong to his company experience it.

Responsorial Psalm
30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
    you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
    a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
    but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
    O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
    O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Reading II
2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters:
As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,
knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, 
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality
your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,
so that their abundance may also supply your needs,
that there may be equality.
As it is written:
    Whoever had much did not have more,
        and whoever had little did not have less.

Alleluia
Cf. 2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

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 hemorrhages 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 Jesus,
“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.

OR:

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.
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.

REFLECTION:

This Gospel reading presents us with two stories about how Jesus healed people. At the end of the first of these stories Jesus gives us the key to his healing ministry when he says, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease’. The main sickness Jesus is intent on healing is that which a sense of our insignificance brings on. The remedy Jesus says is faith in his love.

In prayer, perhaps spend time talking to Jesus about his work of healing, choose some aspect of a sense of insignificance you suffer from. Dwell with the reality that we spend a lot of time trying to make a name for ourselves where it is only his profound and personal love that can give us this sense of our indestructible worth.

PRAYER:

In my need, I too can turn to him and find healing. That healing will focus on my heart – my negativity, bad moods, hurtful responses, hardness. He is always trying to help me grow in love. Then I can in turn become a tender and healing presence to those around me.