Today’s liturgy poses a great challenge to our faith journey and invites us to be fully aligned with our identity as Christians. The Greek word Chrematizo means “supernaturally revealed” (imparted or anointed ones). It is more than simply “called”. We who are followers of Lord Jesus are anointed to have His Mind, Heart and His Holy Spirit in us, thus being another Christ in our world.

The Book of Wisdom simply tells us that God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living. We were designed to be imperishable but we all know what happened to that design, and that the Son of God came to this world as one of us, to clean the mess we had gotten ourselves in, and to pay in full, the debt we owed God for our pride and disobedience. So one thing was clear from the beginning, sickness and death are not the Will of God and we must align with His Will when we pray for healing.

Today’s Gospel proclamation reveals to us the Heart of the Father that was seen by the Son and enacted in the earthly realm. I love the words used by the synagogue leader Jairus when he came to Lord Jesus and fell at His feet. He said, “….Please come and put your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” (Mark 5:23) Jairus had no doubt that if Lord Jesus laid hands on his daughter, she will live. It was not a possibility but a certainty. The woman with the bleeding issue for twelve long years, having exhausted all available medical treatment, also came with a certainty; “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:28) Both Jairus and the woman with bleeding issue performed a daring act. In fact the woman went against the Jewish law when she decided to join the crowd and touch the hem of His garment, for the Jewish law had forbidden any woman with bleeding to come into contact with anyone at all.A touch of the “unclean” was believed to make those ‘touched’, unclean too. They knew they were encountering the One person who had the power to give what they both desired desperately, the healing. This is not about advocating breaking of the law but rising above all restrictions and limitations to open to door to the miracle we need. They did not have any doubt ‘if’ their pursue would be a failure, they ‘knew’ that the miracle was theirs to claim and make their own.

Then in the case of Jairus, he encounters a major crisis in his faith journey as he receives the news of the daughter’s death, his worst fear being realised. Yet Jairus was in the right place, he was in the company of Lord Jesus, The One who would not fail. Lord Jesus sprang up to encourage Jairus; He didn’t mind the sarcasm of onlookers. We too are taught a very valuable lesson in faith here; to be in constant union with The Lord by living in The Spirit each moment everyday. When we are having an intimate relationship with The Lord, unfolding of unexpected events and ‘bad’ news are met first by The Lord Himself and not by us. Then the words of St. Paul in Romans 8:28 becomes real in our lives always! “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Further, our God has given us a promise through the prophet Isaiah thus: “I am God, and there is no other; …I make known the end from the beginning,..” (Isaiah 46:9,10). Like Jairus, we too can continue to look at The Lord and not at the world.

What happened to those who were living in the natural, laughing at Lord Jesus when He said that the daughter of Jairus was only sleeping? They were not included in the witnessing of the great miracle that The Lord knew was going to happen! They missed out being party to the supernatural event. We too need to understand that our decision to choose the natural or the world view will have its consequences, missing out the supernatural or heaven’s view. God has given us the freedom to choose, but the consequence follows the choice.

We are invited to walk into a new realm in our prayer life and simply in our day to day activities, partnering with The Lord in bringing to the world what Lord Jesus has won through His suffering and death. Through our baptism we become partners with The Holy Trinity in making the dreams in the Heart of The Father come real, and through the baptism in The Holy Spirit we are empowered to do the very works The Lord Jesus did on the earth and much more! St Paul in today’s second reading shows how the resources are enough for all when we let go of what we are holding onto. We must make the choice to trust or not to trust God with what He Himself has gifted us.

Prayer: Abba Father, I admit that You alone are my Provider in all areas of my life, turning my wailing into dancing, removing my sackcloth no clothing me with joy. I choose to let go of all what I am holding into Your Hands, and I hold onto You alone. Amen.