Our Gospel deals with two realities of our human condition, sickness and death.
This Gospel ties two accounts together to give us the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage and the raising of the girl who had died. Interestingly we are told that this woman with the hemorrhage had suffered for a period of 12 years while the girl whose life was restored was 12 years of age.
12 years can prove to be a large period of time especially when one is suffering. In the case of the woman with the hemorrhage her condition caused her not only suffering, but had also kept her from the community. It was forbidden for her to touch another until she was declared clean for she would defile them. Due to her flow of blood it would of been impossible for her to be declared clean until it had ceased. Yet she placed her faith in Christ and reached out to touch Him and she was healed.
Likewise, we can join in the anguish of Jairus who had lost his daughter at only 12 years of age. It had to be tough for him to receive the news of his daughter’s death especially considering that Christ made time to heal another along the way. It was not the faith of the daughter, but the faith of the father who brought life to this young girl. She who had died was restored to life.
To understand this Gospel in better context we must understand the reality of sin. It is sin which keeps us from Christ and yet through faith we dare to reach out and touch Him in order that we may be healed of this plight. Death is representative of absolute disconnect with God which is caused by sin, but through our Lord’s saving action from the cross we know that we have been freed from its grasp for a hope always shines forth.
In the account of both of those who were healed something more came to be required of them. They were required to have faith. The woman with the hemorrhage needed to make this faith known and the girl who was raised from the dead came to meet mercy itself. Whenever we enter into relationship with Christ we are given everything that we will ever need to get through the difficult moments of this life and to be sent forth as true witnesses to Him and His mercy.
Difficult moments are seen within our life through these same plights of sickness and death. That plight of 12 years or more can be difficult to embrace, but yet we are given all that we will need to endure with our sight set upon the cross and the hope of the Resurrection. When the reality of our death and that of a loved one comes our way we must not loose sight of this same hope. These two women are connected together through Christ Jesus for all eternity as we are connected to Him through our baptism, through our encounter with Him in confession, and in the Most Holy Eucharist.
Let us always come to place our faith in Christ Jesus and His healing mercy that always requires something more of us.
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