HOMILY Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle B June 30, 2024 At UCC

 HOMILY    Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time     Cycle B     June 30, 2024    At UCC

 

St Mark arranges the story in today’s Gospel so that he is telling us not just about a particular incident in Jesus’ life and career, but also Mark is teaching us about OUR relationship with Jesus as well.

          Jesus heads off to go to the house of a synagogue official named Jarius, who is worried over his seriously sick daughter.   Jesus agrees to accompany Jarius to his home in order to heal the girl.  On the way they meet messengers who report the sad news that the girl has already died. 

          But Jesus objects.  We read "Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official,  "Do not be afraid; just have faith.”  

          I believe that through this Gospel Jesus addresses His message of hope not only to the synagogue official Jarius, but also to every one of us here.   “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” 

Jesus urges, indeed commands us, to let go of fear and to have confident faith in Him, because He has overcome sin and overcome death.

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”  is a message we need to hear over and over again.

          What Jesus does in raising the little girl physically is a sign or instruction of what Jesus does for each of us spiritually.  

          When we are wounded by sin, even when we are spiritually dead, and God’s life and joy are no longer in us, Jesus can raise us up.  Jesus longs to raise us up.  Jesus wants to raise us up out of guilt, out of despair, out of shame, out of the dead end of sin, and restore us to life in the Holy Spirit, the life of the children of God, which is our deepest and truest nature.  //

          At the end of the Gospel passage Jesus makes a rather odd statement.  We read: “He … said that she should be given something to eat.”

          The order of Jesus to give her something to eat is not only a practical concern for the little girl, who probably had not eaten for several days, but is also a reference to the meal that Jesus provides us, which is the Eucharist. 

          Jesus is hinting at the fullness of returning to health, which is to participate fully in the life of the community, the summit of which is to join in the Eucharist.  That is, of course, what we are doing right now.

          Today Jesus says to each one of us, what He said so long ago to Jarius the synagogue official: “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”   

God bless!