Breaking Open the Word - 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B — June 27th, 2021
This Sunday, we pondered the beautiful story of the raising of Jairus’ daughter, along with the equally moving account of the woman cured of a hemorrhage. This “story within a story” device is characteristic of Mark’s Gospel, and scholars have somewhat humorously named it a “Markan Sandwich”! Whatever you call it, this literary form is intriguing and lends itself to prayerful pondering. What are the connections between these two stories? What can we learn by the way St. Mark has woven these two threads together?
Raising of Jairus’ Daughter by Ilya Repin
One Sister began by pointing out a numerical parallel: the Gospel explicitly states that the girl was twelve years old, and that the woman had been suffering for the same amount of time. Why this apparent coincidence? Another Sister, drawing on an insight from Dr. Brant Pitre, gave one possible answer by pointing to the passage in which Jesus calls the woman “daughter.” Just as Jairus has a daughter whose life has been twelve years long, so Jesus claims this woman as a spiritual daughter because of her twelve-year affliction. Both “daughters” are precious and beloved, and the suffering of both ends on the same day!
We also considered the reason Jesus stops and takes so much time with the hemorrhaging woman when Jairus clearly has the more urgent need. One can’t help but sympathize with the poor synagogue official, who must have been at his wits’ end as he beheld this seemingly useless delay while his child was at the point of death! Perhaps the Lord was testing Jairus’ faith, as He did for others at various points throughout the Gospel, so that the miracle would benefit both father and daughter. Or, as in the case of Lazarus, Christ may have delayed so as to work a greater miracle. One Sister also highlighted how this story shows God’s utterly personal love. Jesus is fully attentive to both situations, seeing the individuals rather than just the task to be done. In His Divine wisdom and providence, He uses this situation for the benefit of both. The Lord did not need to stop and speak with the woman – the miracle was accomplished already. But we see here that He is not merely seeking an “exchange” of faith for healing. No, He desires a relationship, a loving connection with the one who has received His grace. And when He reaches Jairus’ house, He has no patience for those who would delay His mission of mercy. Christ sends out the crowd (most likely hired “professional mourners”) and brings only a small and intimate group to witness the daughter’s resurrection. And we cannot forget to mention the loving concern that prompted Christ to advise that the girl be given some food!
Looking more closely at the story of the woman with the hemorrhage, we discussed Jesus’ tender and beautiful interaction with her. Many commentators have pointed to the fact that, though many in the crowd are presumably touching Jesus, it is only the touch of the suffering woman that brings healing and is noticed by the Lord. This reality does not mean that Christ is not offering His healing and salvation to everyone in the crowd – He “has loved us first,” after all – but that not all have the hearts open to receive it. The hand of grace is always eagerly extended towards us, yet the Lord’s incredible respect for our free will means that we must choose to grasp that hand.
Finally, we spoke about the second reading’s spiritual insights on the topic of material wealth. We may be tempted to think that we must be rich to give generously, but for St, Paul, generosity is intimately and paradoxically linked with the spirit of poverty. Christ “became poor” so that He could give Himself totally to us; we are called to be detached from earthly goods (whether we have much or little) to the point that we can give freely to our neighbor. And ultimately, the goal is to give our whole selves to God. One Sister also highlighted another paradox in this reading: the concept of fundraising as a spiritual activity. Priests, religious, and others who work for the Church can be very uncomfortable with fundraising. After all, it seems incongruous to ask for money when we claim to have our “treasure in heaven”! However, as Henri Nouwen points out in his book, The Spirituality of Fundraising, we should not divorce the spiritual and material realms of ministry. We must see, as St. Paul did, that material means are needed for the proclamation of the Gospel and the service of God’s people – therefore, to ask for funds can be a way of inviting others to participate in one’s special mission. This was a particular encouragement for our community, as we seek to expand and renovate our monastery to better fulfill our vocation of prayer in the Church and serve those who come to us seeking rest at the foot of the Cross!