1st Reading: Wis 1:13-15,2:23-24
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13
2nd Reading: 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15
Gospel: Mk 5:21-43
Four years ago Saint Mary's in Oak Ridge became my first assignment as a seminarian, and now Saint Mary's in Oak Ridge becomes my first assignment as a priest. I look forward to serving this parish as the associate pastor and look forward to serving each of you in your needs.
I was ordained a priest on June 2nd and sense have been pulled around the diocese to celebrate Mass and speak for various meetings. One thing that I wanted to do prior to this assignment was to get away for a few days with my family. This family trip finally came about this past weekend when we got the opportunity to go to Pigeon Forge. One thing that I wanted to do was to go to Dollywood because it had been about three years since my last visit and also because I wanted to ride their newest ride, the Wild Eagle. The forecast for that Friday was rain with a chance of thunderstorms and I figured that due to this less people would be in the park and that the weather would be cooler thanks to the clouds in the sky. When it came to getting in line I was able to walk right past the sign that said "45 minutes at this point" and to walk right past the sign that said "15 minutes at this point." Finally I would get behind a few people as I waited to get on the ride. Despite so easily moving up the line I was more consumed with the desire to get on the ride and get the wait over with then to be thankful for my quick wait.
In today's Gospel everyone wants a piece of Jesus. From the moment that Jesus arrives on the land people are shouting and making requests of Him. One man who is present asks Jesus to come with Him and heal his daughter before she dies. I can only imagine that this man wanted Jesus to move quickly because there was the life of a loved one hanging in the balance. While in route to this location more people wanted Jesus to act for them including a woman who had been suffering for years. After healing her of her health problem Jesus takes time out of His journey to speak to her. I can only imagine that the man who wanted Jesus to move quickly grew impatient at the site of Jesus stopping to speak with this woman while his daughter's life was in jeopardy. Finally Jesus arrived on the scene and the news was grim because the girl he had come to save was dead. I am sure this man thought back to Jesus stopping on the streets to help other people out in their need and quickly lost His faith due to Christ's response not coming quick enough. Then he is surprised because his prayers had been answered and his daughter was not only healed, but brought back to life.
No matter how much we have before us to be thankful for we each get caught up in desiring instant gratification. Whenever we have a prayer or need; we desire God to follow our orders and to act instantly instead of working in union with His Divine Will. Sometimes what we desire is not what is actually best for us. Sometimes unknown graces can come out of being forced to wait for results. To have faith is an act of being persistent and being able to endure even when we do not understand what is going on. We cannot approach faith from the same angle that we approach our everyday life where we have been taught that getting things instantly is the only option. Faith is not turning on a computer, exchanging your credit card number, and getting an instant download that comes at the moment that we desire it. Faith is the life long process where we continue to believe and walk with Christ even when we do not get what we want at the moment that we begin to desire it. To posses faith is to allow God to be at the center of our lives and to allow God to walk with us every step of the way.
Saint Paul pointed out in his second letter to the Corinthians that it was written that: "Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less." This is a reality for us in all matters of faith because when we hand ourselves over in faith what we currently have will be multiplied. When we continue to endure daily in our faith we will begin to grow in many ways which will show the reality of our growth to the world. When we are forced to wait in order to receive the answer that we are in search of we will begin to grow in many areas as we continue to endure inside of our faith. In the Book of Wisdom we were told about the great love that God has for each of us. We were told that the love of God is so great that humanity was made in the image of His own nature. Through this reality God continues to look over us even when we do not feel His presence during our lives. God continues to love each of us and through this great love invites us to open up our hearts and souls to Him through faith. Faith is the key for each us of us today because through it we will be firmly rooted in relationship with the Lord.
Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ I pray that each of us will continue to grow fervent in our faith. May each of us continue to praise the name of the Lord who has come to rescue us from the power of death. When we go into the world today and allow anxiety to raise up within ourselves when we have to wait to get a seat at a restaurant, wait in the check line at Wal-Mart or the local grocery store, or even sitting in front of a red light that seems like it will never change may we allow our hearts and souls to ponder the glorious mystery of Christ. May these moments plant a seed within us that sees our need to trust in the enduring reality of faith. If we can forever trust in this reality we can come to a true relationship with Christ where we are dependent upon Christ and His love for us alone. It is only through our ability to trust in Christ that we will ever grow free to grow in our faith. May we take it upon ourselves today to encounter all matters of faith like the girl in the Gospel who was told: "Little girl, I say arise!" and then she trusted and arose.
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