"Do not be afraid; just have faith."

     The first reading and the Gospel today both deal with death, which is a rather uncomfortable subject for most of us.  You know the old saying:  there are only two things in life that are certain:  death and taxes--not necessarily in that order.  Death is a part of life that we all have to experience.   An older person once told me that he was ready to go anytime.  He was tired, and death no longer frightened him.  I believe that many older persons share his view.  I think it’s a very healthy attitude to have, and is as it should be, for those of us who have faith in the risen Lord.  However, when death comes at an early age, before someone has lived a full life, it seems much more sad and disturbing, and is so much harder to deal with.  In the Gospel today, Jairus was faced with the fact that his young daughter was gravely ill.  The love he had for his daughter forced him to do everything he could to save her life, including seeking out—not a doctor, but a wandering preacher that he heard was able to cure people. Jairus was a synagogue leader, a teacher, a rabbi most likely. He may have heard Jesus speak in the synagogue, or he may only have known about him through reputation.  Nothing, however, would get in the way of his humbling himself and asking for a miracle for his beloved daughter. 

    But, as you know, the Gospel passage today is not only about Jairus and his daughter.  If we think of today’s Gospel as a sandwich, then the two slices of bread make up the story of Jairus and his daughter.  But, as with any sandwich, there’s something in the middle—the filling so to speak.  We see this literary style quite often in the Gospel of Mark.  The story of Jairus begins, but then is interrupted by another story, before we come back to the end of the story of Jairus and his daughter—the other piece of bread.  And the “meat” of this sandwich is an incident where Jesus, on His way to heal the little girl, has an encounter with a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years.  Because she suffered from this condition, she was considered to be unclean, and as such, would not have been able to approach Jesus from the front or she would have been turned away.  So, she literally had to “sneak up” on Jesus from behind.  Just like Jairus, the woman came to Jesus seeking his healing power.  Her faith in Him was so strong that she didn’t think she even needed to ask Jesus to cure her, but only needed to touch his clothing to be made well.  Despite the fact that Jesus was being touched and jostled from all sides as he travelled along, he felt something different when the woman touched him; felt some power leaving him-- so he asked who it was that had touched him.  His question of “Who touched me?” struck fear into the woman.  She knew she was unclean and, according to the law, by touching Jesus had rendered Him unclean as well.  Still, the woman truthfully admitted to Jesus what she had done.  And, instead of being angry with her, Jesus praised her for her great faith, and told her it was by that faith that she was cured.  Mark relates through this story the power of Jesus to heal, because in a little while Jesus’ power is going to be seen as something even greater--not just to heal, but to raise someone--Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter-- from the dead.

     And now we come back to the other slice of bread on the sandwich.  Jairus’ daughter has died, and some people from Jairus’ home came to tell Jesus that he doesn’t need to come any more, that it was too late.  In response to this news, Jesus speaks only seven words, but they are words which we should memorize and apply over and over to our own lives as well—especially whenever things are going badly for us:  Do not be afraid; just have faith.  I love the way Mark tells the story of Jairus, because he keeps it vivid but simple, and sandwiching the healing of the hemorrhaging woman in the middle of it prepares us for the even greater miracle which is to come—the raising of the little girl from the dead.

     In our first reading from Wisdom, we are reminded that “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” Our God is a God of life, and we should be a people of life. The kingdom of heaven we talk about so much starts right here, right now, by us living the life that Jesus taught us to live.  In the responsorial psalm today, the psalmist says “you preserved me from those going down into the pit…and changed my mourning into dancing.”   Our God is a God of life.  All we have to do is believe and live! The kingdom of heaven is here… now… if we give into it, live it, love in it, and never fear. That is the continuing Good News that Jesus preached during his lifetime here on Earth, and the Good News that needs to sustain us as we move toward our own death and the eternal life that follows it.  Do not be afraid;   just have faith.   

     For those of us who follow Christ, death is an end, but not the end.  It is an end to our life as we know it here on Earth.  But as believers, we know that it is merely a transition to the life we were meant to enjoy from the moment of our conception—eternal life in heaven with God, and all the angels and saints.  Death can be a very scary proposition, that’s true.  But if we take the words of Jesus to heart, the sting of death is removed and our focus is on our journey toward heaven.  Fear can often be a crippling emotion in our lives if we allow ourselves to be stricken with it.  We must fight the urge to be afraid in this life.  We must trust Jesus and his admonition: Do not be afraid; just have faith.  We must have faith, and through this faith conquer our fears.  Like many things we talk about, it’s simple, but not easy.  That’s where prayer comes in.  Visits to the Perpetual Adoration Chapel.  Reconciliation.  Mass and the reception of Holy Communion.  All of these strengthen our relationship with God, and therefore strengthen our ability to resist fear and to have faith in Him.

     The world seems to be persecuting us Christians and our beliefs at every turn.  The latest is the Supreme Court’s ruling redefining marriage.  I was a teenager when Roe v. Wade was decided, and so I really don’t remember being profoundly affected by the decision.  But I imagine the same sort of feelings of persecution were prevalent among Catholics then as are today.  How can man purport to change God’s law?  Well, Catholics, as well as other Christians, have continued to fight against abortion for over forty years, through prayer, education, and legislation.  When we say at the end of mass:  “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” it’s not just a way to end the celebration.  It’s a charge from Jesus himself.  He told his disciples to go out to all the world and spread the Good News.  If we are followers of Christ—disciples—then we, too, must share His Good News.  Just because a court of man says someone has a right to do something, it doesn’t mean that it is right for them to do so in the eyes of God.  And so the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel—do not be afraid, just have faith—are for each and every one of us as we continue to live our lives according to God’s law and His desire for us.  From the very beginning, God gave man free will.  Each of us has to decide daily how we will exercise that freedom.  If we follow Jesus, then we must have faith in the face of fear; trusting in His plan for our salvation.  Heaven is our goal, and we should do everything in our power to get there, and to bring as many people with us as we can.  And so we cannot remain silent.  We have to…lovingly…share what we know to be the truth with everyone we meet.  Whatever the issue may be, we must be soldiers for Christ and spread his Good News, because, not only do we have the right to do so, but it’s the right thing to do….