Homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 27, 2021

 Readings can be found here.

            Today’s Gospel gives us a two for one reading.  It has a story within a story both with the same theme, healing.  We begin with Jairus who asks Jesus to heal his sick daughter.  While on the way to Jairus’ house, we hear of a woman who suffered from hemorrhages for many years.  We then return to the story of Jairus and his daughter.  These two seemingly unconnected stories are actually connected in several ways.  First, they are both stories of healing.  In the case of Jairus, he wants for healing not for himself, but for someone else.  In the case of the woman, she desires healing from a physical malady that has plagued her for many years.

            The second way they’re connected is that in both cases, the people needing healing were beyond the help of “earthly” power or treatment.  The woman saw many doctors and instead of being healed, only grew worse.  Jairus’ daughter was very ill and at the point of death.  Due to the delay in getting to Jairus’ house, she died before Jesus could heal her.  She was now beyond the help of any earthly cure or aid.  The only thing left for the woman and for Jairus was to now rely on God.

            This brings us to the third way they’re connected: faith.  Both the woman and Jairus had great faith which allowed for the healing they desired.  The woman was convinced that if she could only touch Jesus’ clothes she would be healed.  Jairus had faith that Jesus need only lay hands upon his daughter and she would be healed.  Even after she died, Jesus told him to continue to have faith.  It is this faith in Jesus that allowed the woman to be healed and the girl to be brought back to life.

            We too have access to the healing power of Jesus for ourselves and for others.  What areas in our own lives to we need healing, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual?  Do we have the faith that Jesus will heal us?  Even if we don’t feel worthy for some reason, just the faith that Jesus will heal us can be enough.  The woman did not feel worthy to ask Jesus for healing directly.  Because she had a condition that caused her to bleed, she would be considered ritually unclean.  This would mean she could not participate in the communal or spiritual activities of the community.  If she were married, her illness would affect the relationship with her husband.  For 12 years this woman was considered an outcast from society.  Despite her feelings of unworthiness, the woman had the faith that a fleeting contact with Jesus would cure her.

            Jairus believed that one touch from Jesus would heal his daughter.  Who in our lives may need healing?  Perhaps a friend or loved one is struggling with an illness.  Or maybe a child or relative has fallen away from the faith.  Perhaps someone close to us is struggling with a difficult relationship or emotional distress.  We can ask Jesus to heal that person even if we think they’re beyond hope.  The crowd thought that of Jairus’ daughter.  She had died, why trouble Jesus any longer?  We need to be patient and walk with Jesus for a time to await their healing.  The person we wish healed may not experience Jesus’ touch in a way we expect, or in the timeframe we hope.  After all, Jairus was expecting Jesus to heal his daughter before she died.  If we have faith, God will heal those we pray for in the right time and the right way.

            Jesus offers us His healing whether we’re able to approach Him directly or not.  The key is that we have faith that Jesus wants us to be healed.  Whether we need healing for ourselves or wish for healing for someone else, Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid: just have faith.”  Like the woman, Jesus wants to say to us “Your faith has saved you, go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”  Are we willing to reach out to Jesus and trust in Him?