In today's Gospel, Mark 5: 21-43, we encounter two persons who seek out Jesus, one a woman who has been "afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years, has suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors, and had spent all that she had" and the other a synagogue official whose 12-year-old daughter is seriously ill. The woman hears about Jesus and is determined that if she only touches the hem of his garment she will be healed. She "came up behind him in [a large]crowd and touched his cloak." Immediately she is healed and Jesus knew that power had left Him. "Who touched me," He asked. The woman realizes what has happened to her and approaches Jesus "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.'" At the same time, people from the synagogue official's house arrive and inform the official that his daughter has died and suggests that he stop bothering Jesus. "It is over," so to speak! Jesus says to the official: "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He proceeds to the official's house, enters the room where the little girl is and says to her: "Little girl,..., arise!" She "arose immediately and walked around." And Jesus instructs her parents to give her something to eat!
Neither individual gives up! Nor does Jesus! In case of the woman, neither despair nor repeated failures stops her from getting close to Jesus and touching His cloak. In regard to the synagogue official, he does not let the discouraging message from his people get between him and Jesus. Nor does he despair because he's been told that his daughter is dead. In the case of Jesus, the crowd taunts Him, as though saying to Him: "Who touched you? For heaven's sake, the crowd is pressing upon you! Of course, someone brushed against your cloak! Move on!" Jesus also ignores the people who proclaim that the little girl is dead. "Have faith," He say to the synagogue official!
Do you and I keep our eyes on Jesus? Or, do we let what others think and say dissuade us and lead us into despair? into giving up on Jesus?
Showing posts with label loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loss. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Life and Its Demands
In today's first reading, 2Sam 1: 1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27, we are told of David's losses of Saul and his son Jonathan, who are both slain in war with the Amalekites. Saul and Jonathan were dear to David. David endured many personal hardships in his relationship with Saul, who preceded him as King of Israel and, at one time, sought to kill David, of whom he had grown jealous. Many times, Jonathan defended David to his father Saul. Because of Jonathan's interventions on David's behalf, issues between Saul and David were resolved. Saul and David became close friends and confidantes. Both highly respected each other.
In the Gospel, Mark 3: 20-21, we hear of how distraught Jesus' family is about Jesus. They are very concerned that Jesus is neglecting himself to the point of risking his health and his sanity. They go in search of him, wanting to rescue Him and bring him back home under the caring eyes of His family and relatives.
All of us face times when we need to let go. Family members and friends leave us to engage in activities that we may think unsafe or too demanding. We may even think, as Jesus' relatives did, that some of our family members or friends have lost their senses. In Jesus' case, He does not return home by His own choice. Saul and David did not return home as the result of losing their lives in war.
Our recourse when letting go of that which is beyond our control is difficult. At our disposal, however, is the same recourse that David and Jesus' relatives had: prayer. David cries to the Lord: How can the warriors have fallen--in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights! I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother! Most dear have you been to me....How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished." In the case of Jesus' relatives, we are not told how they responded in their grief but, knowing Mary's faith, we can conclude that she and her relatives sought God's help to grow in their understanding of Jesus' call to ministry and to the reasons He gave His all, sometimes not taking the time to eat or sleep that they considered essential for Him to maintain His strength and sanity. No doubt, however, they heard Jesus, directly or indirectly, say to His disciples: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me" (John 4: 34).
How do you deal with grief? What sustains you when you barely have time to eat or sleep in caring for others or carrying out your ministry to those in need?
In the Gospel, Mark 3: 20-21, we hear of how distraught Jesus' family is about Jesus. They are very concerned that Jesus is neglecting himself to the point of risking his health and his sanity. They go in search of him, wanting to rescue Him and bring him back home under the caring eyes of His family and relatives.
All of us face times when we need to let go. Family members and friends leave us to engage in activities that we may think unsafe or too demanding. We may even think, as Jesus' relatives did, that some of our family members or friends have lost their senses. In Jesus' case, He does not return home by His own choice. Saul and David did not return home as the result of losing their lives in war.
Our recourse when letting go of that which is beyond our control is difficult. At our disposal, however, is the same recourse that David and Jesus' relatives had: prayer. David cries to the Lord: How can the warriors have fallen--in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights! I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother! Most dear have you been to me....How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished." In the case of Jesus' relatives, we are not told how they responded in their grief but, knowing Mary's faith, we can conclude that she and her relatives sought God's help to grow in their understanding of Jesus' call to ministry and to the reasons He gave His all, sometimes not taking the time to eat or sleep that they considered essential for Him to maintain His strength and sanity. No doubt, however, they heard Jesus, directly or indirectly, say to His disciples: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me" (John 4: 34).
How do you deal with grief? What sustains you when you barely have time to eat or sleep in caring for others or carrying out your ministry to those in need?
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Mary's Faith Journey: Her Questioning and Ours
Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Gospel tells the story of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus up to the temple on his 12th birthday. Jewish boys, at that time, become a bar miszvah, "literally a 'son of the commandment(s).' He can then
perform all the mitzvoth and is required to do so with full
responsibility for his religious behavior. When the boy is first 'called up' to
the Torah, symbolic of his attainment of majority, the father utters a blessing
commemorating this transition to adulthood." Following the ceremony, Jesus stays behind in the Temple. Mary and Joseph leave Jerusalem, thinking that Jesus is in the caravan with the other parent. He is not! Mary and Joseph spend three terrifying days looking for him, Mary no doubt recalling Simeon's prophesy that Jesus is destined to be the cause of the rise and fall of many in Israel and a sword [of sorrow] will pierce her heart.
We read about the terror any parent goes through when a child is abducted, kidnapped, lost. Mary and Joseph are no exception. They find Jesus after a three-day search and Mary says to Jesus: "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety" (Luke 2: 41-51). And Jesus responds: "Why were you looking for me?" That response must have baffled Mary and Joseph, I would think. The Scriptures tell us that "they did not understand what he said to them." He left the Temple and returned to Nazareth with His parents, and "was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart."
We next meet Mary in the Scriptures when she and "his brothers come looking for him"(Mt. 12:46). Rumors were such that his relatives wondered whether Jesus had lost his mind--had he gone crazy, being so involved in his ministry that he did not take time to eat. And finally, the next appearance of Mary is beneath the cross, where Jesus says to her: Woman, behold your son; Son, behold your mother"--all of us are entrusted to her care and she becomes the Mother of the Church!
Mary's faith journey was anything but simple or easy. Every parent knows Mary's pain and the burden and responsibilities of parenthood--they do not disappear when a child enters adulthood.
The question we may want to ponder is: what does Mary teach us about parenthood, about being there for a child, or anyone, in trouble, about dealing with life on God's terms?
We read about the terror any parent goes through when a child is abducted, kidnapped, lost. Mary and Joseph are no exception. They find Jesus after a three-day search and Mary says to Jesus: "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety" (Luke 2: 41-51). And Jesus responds: "Why were you looking for me?" That response must have baffled Mary and Joseph, I would think. The Scriptures tell us that "they did not understand what he said to them." He left the Temple and returned to Nazareth with His parents, and "was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart."
We next meet Mary in the Scriptures when she and "his brothers come looking for him"(Mt. 12:46). Rumors were such that his relatives wondered whether Jesus had lost his mind--had he gone crazy, being so involved in his ministry that he did not take time to eat. And finally, the next appearance of Mary is beneath the cross, where Jesus says to her: Woman, behold your son; Son, behold your mother"--all of us are entrusted to her care and she becomes the Mother of the Church!
Mary's faith journey was anything but simple or easy. Every parent knows Mary's pain and the burden and responsibilities of parenthood--they do not disappear when a child enters adulthood.
The question we may want to ponder is: what does Mary teach us about parenthood, about being there for a child, or anyone, in trouble, about dealing with life on God's terms?
Monday, March 12, 2012
Mary, Mother of Sorrows
Mary, Mother of Sorrows: This week we will reflect on the fourth sorrow of Mary, the loss of Jesus in the Temple. For three days, Mary and Joseph did not know where their Son was. Did the worst happen to Him? Was He kidnapped and put to death? Did the authorities who searched to kill Him at His birth discover who He was and were they plotting to find Him on this particular occasion? Mary and Joseph must have suffered sheer agony at the loss of Jesus. For three days, they had no idea where their Son was. Every day of Mary’s life she must have worried that something horrible would happen to Him, as she pondered the prophesy of Simeon, “…your child is destined…to be a sign that will be opposed…and a sword will pierce your own soul….(Lk 2:34). Was this the loss about which Simeon was talking?
Mary knows the agony of parents who lose a child, no matter how that loss occurs: snatched by a sexual predator, kidnapped by an ex-spouse, in danger of being abused/murdered by an ex seeking revenge. Mary knows the emotional devastation a parent experiences when she “loses” a child to drugs and alcohol or to any other addiction that consumes a child’s life and blocks any hope of a significant connection. She knows the agony of “losing” a child to a mental illness. She even knows the pain parents experience when their child is old enough to go out on his/her own, get married and leaves home for good.
Do you seek Mary’s help when you are going through a loss? You may be surprised by her ability to empathize, to offer support, to give you the strength you need.
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