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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  The power of God is at work to heal and restore life

by Fr. Richard C. Macey special to The Michigan Catholic
Published June 19, 2009

First Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24

The author asserts that "God did not make death." This could refer to physical and/or spiritual death. God is the creator, a theme that extends throughout most of wisdom literature. The author appeals to the beginning of the Torah and the Bible by his reference to the Book of Genesis: "God formed man ... the image of his own nature" (see Genesis 1:27). Death is destruction of what is created. The word for "destruction" of the living and other synonyms are used elsewhere in the Old Testament as mankind's worst enemy (e.g., Job 26:6, 28:2; Provers 15:11). In the New Testament, the word refers to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13, John 17:12, Romans 9:22, Philippeans 1:28, 1 Timothy 6:9).

St. Paul, alluding to the Genesis 3:19, declared that death is the result of sin (Romans 5:12). This author also affirms that "by the envy of the devil, death entered the world." But each person has a choice, since God did not intend that end for mankind. We were made "to be imperishable," because "justice is undying." The ultimate balance of justice and the individual accountability of each person are also themes in wisdom literature.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Paul insists in the communal responsibility of each person. He is repeating the message of the prophets of Israel and Judah. Faith has a practical result in our relationship with others. Also, he acknowledges that everyone has something to offer. "Poor" and "rich" are relative terms. Paul does not define them, except to say that "abundance" leads to responsible care for others.

"This gracious act" refers to the collection taken up for the Jewish members of the Church at Jerusalem and which is mentioned in several of the Pauline letters. The collection from the Gentile members of the Church not only would help the material needs of the faithful there, it would also be a sign of solidarity in the Church by their offering and its acceptance. The word is repeated as "gracious act" of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, the reference is to the Incarnation, when Jesus entered the human community in order to lift it up. Paul put it this way: " ... by His poverty you might become rich." Paul is using the appeal for material assistance as a sign of their spiritual unity in faith.

The last line is a quote from Exodus 16:18 about the gathering of manna to supply the needs of the community in the wilderness. By this reference, Paul indicates his belief that everything is a gift from God. It also alludes to the temporary ownership of any material good. It may be a blessing, but it is not eternal.

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 (Short version: Mark 5:21-24, 35b-43)

These two miracle accounts follow two others: the calming of the storm at sea and the healing of the possessed man. This is the only Gospel account of one miracle story inserted within the narration of another.

There are several points of contact between the two stories: females called daughters, 12 years, touched by Jesus, "immediate" healing in private. The father of Jairus and the woman with a hemorrhage fall down in homage before Jesus. They humble themselves before Him. Both the healing of a long term illness and bringing someone back from the dead emphasized the extraordinary power used by Jesus. The raising from the dead echoes the stories about Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:31-37). The woman and the girl are healed of infirmities that make them ritually impure. They are returned to a normal social life. The woman is told to "go in peace," and the girl is given something to eat.

There are also contrasting differences. The scene of the healing of the woman with the hemorrhage goes from a private affair to a public one, including those disciples of Jesus who displayed their lack of understanding by their question (and whose lack of faith caused them to be terrified during a storm on the lake in Mark 4:40). The healing of the daughter of Jairus passes from a public announcement to a much more private raising from the dead, apart from those who "ridiculed Him." By quoting the words of Jesus in the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the evangelist demonstrates two important things. The phrase, talitha koum, is Aramaic, not Hebrew. This may indicate the language used by Jesus. Secondly, the fact that words were used to bring about a transformation indicates Jesus was the source of the power. When Moses spoke presumptuously at the striking of the rock in the wilderness ("... are we to bring forth for you ... "), he incurred the punishment of not entering the Promised Land in Numbers 20:10-12. This is the interpretation of Rabbi Hananel ben Hushiel of Kairouwan, ca. 980-1056. The Law forbade the use of pagan means of controlling divine powers by incantations or sayings in Deuteronomy 18:10,20. Jesus showed He had that divine power.

Illness and sickness are not blessings from God, at least by my measurement. But they can become a means to a deeper cure. When I was in the seminary, we had a professor whom I thought was rather mean, often curtly dismissing the concerns of the students and acting very condescending toward us. Many years later, I was assigned to a parish not far from where he was serving as pastor. I had little or no contact with him from leaving the seminary until that time. When I arrived at my new assignment, he welcomed me into the area, offered me hospitality and treated me as an equal. I had heard that he had experienced a healing from a growing blindness. It was a spiritual healing, and it changed his attitude and attention toward others. This was not the same man who struck fear in my heart in every class I attended with him!

Prayer goes much farther than even the wondrous modern medical procedures of our time. Jesus is still an important source for the power of God at work in us today.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.