by Fr. Tommy Lane
When we enter the world, we find ourselves already in the midst of a battle not of our own choosing, the battle between good and evil. That battle began when our first parents in the Garden of Eden listened to the devil’s lies. As a result of our first parents’ sin, we all suffer the consequences, and we see Jesus overcoming two of those consequences in the Gospel today: sickness and death (Mark 5:21-43). Life, as God intended, was not to include sickness and death. We heard in our first reading from the Book of Wisdom, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being.” (Wis 1:13-14; see Catechism #376) How did it go wrong? Again, our first reading told us, “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world.” (Wis 2:24) All the angels were created good by God but some of them rejected God (Catechism #391-392) and we call them fallen angels and their leader the devil. That was not the only problem. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, tempted by the devil, let their trust in God die in their hearts (Catechism #397) when they were seduced by the devil’s lies.
But God brings good out of evil. (Rom 8:28; Catechism #312-313) It is mysterious for us, and difficult to understand, but good to know that God brings good of evil. The good that came out of the sin of Adam and Eve is that Jesus came to rectify the situation. That is why, in the Exsultet—the Easter Proclamation—that is sung after the Paschal Candle is lit during the Easter Vigil, we hear this about the sin of Adam and Eve: “O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!” God brings good out of evil. “O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus rectifying two of the consequences of that first sin: sickness and death. Jesus agrees to go with Jairus to his daughter who is close to death. Before he gets there, a woman in the crowd, who has been hemorrhaging for twelve years, touches Jesus’ cloak and is healed instantaneously. She did not let trust in God die in her heart. Because of her illness, most likely she was very isolated as she was considered unclean, and unable to have children Jesus responds to the situation in such a way that she has to come forward to admit her healing publicly so that all will know she has been healed and is no longer unclean. Jesus wanted everyone to know her isolation has been healed, just like the leper we encountered in the Gospel earlier this year who was also healed by Jesus and could then return to his family and community and worship (Mark 1:40-45: Sixth Sunday Year B) The woman in today’s Gospel has her life back again. She can have children now. This is a very pro-life Gospel.
While still on the way to Jairus’ house, unfortunately, word was sent to Jairus that his daughter had died. As Jairus walked back to his house with Jesus, we cannot imagine the heaviness that must have been in his heart. But unlike our first parents who let trust in God die in their hearts, he still brought Jesus to his house. Jairus hoped in Jesus. The situation could not have been worse, but he still depended on Jesus. When they arrived at the house, people ridiculed Jesus for his pro-life perspective when he said she was sleeping and not dead. Jesus raised her to life. Unfortunately, ridiculing Jesus’ perspective on all sorts of issues is something that continues. The hemorrhaging woman and Jairus did not let trust die in their hearts. The people in Jairus’ house had let trust in God die in their hearts. Maintaining trust in God in our hearts in the face of suffering and pain is the only stance to take in life. Letting trust in God die in our hearts would mean we would continue the mistake of Adam and Eve, and of the people in Jairus’ house. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is the one who overcomes sickness and death, two of the consequences of the sin of our first parents. Just as last week, when the boat was being swamped and the disciples went to Jesus to save them, in today’s Gospel, people turn to Jesus, and he saves them from sickness and death. It is easy to see the message: when we have problems, turn to Jesus.
Jairus went to bring Jesus because he wanted the best for his daughter, and he knew the best for his daughter was Jesus. Parents make all kinds of decisions for their children every day choosing the best for their children, and baptism and helping the child to pray is choosing the best spiritual benefit for a child. The great saints who for one reason or another were not baptized as infants, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, begged that parents baptize their children. We believe that baptism is for salvation and not only erases original sin but also gives grace and virtues (DS 904). Original sin is not a sin committed but is the damaged relationship with God into which we are born as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Parents are constantly choosing the best for their children and one of those decisions for the best is choosing baptism and helping the child to pray just as Jairus in today’s Gospel asked Jesus to help his daughter.
When we enter the world, we find ourselves already in the midst of a battle not of our own choosing, the battle between good and evil. In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus rectifying two of the consequences of the first sin, sickness and death, when our first parents let trust in God die in their hearts. Maintaining trust in God in our hearts in the face of suffering and pain is the only stance to take in life. It is mysterious for us, but good to know that God brings good of evil. “O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Thirteenth Sunday of Year B
When you have Problems, Go to Jesus 2015
We have faith in the power of Jesus to heal us and pick us up
Related Homilies: Homilies on healing
Homilies on turning everything to good