by Fr. Julius C. Lupot

READINGS:     Wisdom 1: 13-15; 2: 23-24   /   Psalm 30: 2. 4. 5-6. 11-13   /   2 Corinthians 8: 7. 9. 13-15

MARK 5: 21-43

HIS WORD… WHO HAS TOUCHED MY CLOTHES? …DAUGHTER, YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU. GO IN PEACE AND BE CURED OF YOUR AFFLICTION… DO NOT BE AFRAID; JUST HAVE FAITH… WHY THIS COMMOTION AND WEEPING? THE CHILD IS NOT DEAD BUT ASLEEP… “TALITHA KOUM” – LITTLE GIRL, I SAY TO YOU, ARISE!

my words… Personification is one of the ‘Figures of Speech’ found in the gospels, and in fact, in the whole Bible. Today’s long gospel presents to us the personifications of the 12 Tribes of Israel by the hemorrhagic woman for 12 years, and the 12 Apostles by the young girl of 12 years old.

THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL in the Old Testament were chosen by God to be His exclusively own people in a covenantal relationship telling them: “You are my people, and I will be your God.” And the Covenant was pictured as a “Marriage Covenant” between Yahweh and His people. But by their stubbornness, they failed to be faithful to Yahweh God. They still worshipped their old Egyptian pagan gods, especially the ‘Golden Calf’. Hence the Old Testament literature described them as “prostitute wife”; and during those times, the inherent sickness that prostitutes acquired was constant (non-stop) hemorrhages (not yet AIDS or HIV or any venereal disease) which was a form of unhygienic affliction. And this old sickness was cured and healed by JESUS!

THE 12 APOSTLES in the New Testament were the ones called, chosen, and appointed by Jesus to be His companions forming the Core Group (Apostolate) of His mission of saving the whole world. But who were they? They were fishermen, tax collectors, insurgents, close allies, and to top it all, Sinners! For the Pharisees and the rest of the Jewish people, they were “nobodies” (walang kwenta), unlearned, and socially dead group in the Jewish society; and yet Jesus rescued them: (“Talitha Koum”) by His company and constant teachings. JESUS cured them and gave them LIFE! And they were even given something to eat – the Holy Eucharist! They then became the pillars of the Church founded by JESUS.

Brothers and Sisters, the mission of Jesus is to heal and forgive the sins of all peoples counting from the times of Adam and Eve down to the coming generations. Jesus healed both the Old Testament and New Testament peoples. That was why He had to die on the cross with stretched-out hands signifying that His death is for all the peoples in the past, in the present, and in the future = the universal effect of the death of Jesus. We are part of the people whom Jesus healed. Let us capitalize this grace of healing in our Christian life; for we know, borrowing the words of Peter that, “By His wounds, we have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

For the maladies of life, which healing do you prefer: from medical science or from Jesus?

If from JESUS, then HAVE THE FAITH!!!