20230131 CLING TO JESUS OUR ULTIMATE HOPE
31 January 2023 Tuesday, 4th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Hebrews 12:1-4 © |
We should keep running steadily in the race we have started
With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 21(22):26-28,30-32 © |
They shall praise you, Lord, those who seek you.
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever!
They shall praise you, Lord, those who seek you.
All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
all families of the nations worship before him;
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.
They shall praise you, Lord, those who seek you.
And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.
They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
‘These things the Lord has done.’
They shall praise you, Lord, those who seek you.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt8:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
He took our sicknesses away,
and carried our diseases for us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 5:21-43 © |
Little girl, I tell you to get up
When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.
Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?”’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.’
While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official’s house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
CLING TO JESUS OUR ULTIMATE HOPE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 12:1-4; PS 22:26-28,30-32; MARK 5:21-43]
“Keep running steadily in the race we have started!” This is a tall order. It is easy to start things in life but to run steadily is certainly not easy. Whether it is the beginning of a new chapter in life, in marriage, in a relationship or in a new job, or in a new project, we are bound to face many difficulties along the way. There will be trials, unexpected change of circumstances, opposition and setbacks. When we meet with such difficulties, many of us will withdraw and give up. Many “give up for want of courage.”
This is especially true in suffering, particularly when overcoming our sinfulness. We know that we are weak and vulnerable in the face of temptations. We succumb easily to sin “that clings so easily” especially the sin of lust, pride, envy, anger, greed, sloth and gluttony. We find ourselves too weak to resist sins. We remain in bondage in our sins. We lack peace of mind and we feel guilty for not being faithful to the gospel way of life. We try and try but we always end up committing the same sins again and again. So much so that we fall into the trap of the Evil One who discourages us by telling us to give up because there is no hope. After some time, we lose sight of what we are called to be and to do, which is to live a life of holiness. We get tired of going for confession again and again, especially for the sin of lust. After some time, we just begin to live with our sins. This is what the Devil wants us to do so that we can eventually rationalize our sins, be numb to them, and continue to live a double life. As we continue living a life without integrity, soon we lose God totally.
This is true not just in the area of sin but in every dimension of life. Some of us are like the woman suffering from haemorrhage who had tried all means to get herself cured but to no avail. To be afflicted with sickness is something very trying. The inconvenience, the pain, the lack of mobility and the need for assistance make us feel useless and frustrated. More so, when we have sought all forms of medical help and yet cannot find a cure. So we can empathize with this woman who suffered for twelve years. She not only suffered physically but from social and religious alienation as well, because she was considered to be “unclean.”
Today, we are told that Jesus is our Hope. She did not give up so easily. She clung to her last hope and touched the cloak of Jesus. In faith, she said, “If I can touch even his clothes, I shall be well again.” And we read that “the source of bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.” We too, in all our troubles must never think that we are at the end of the road and give up trying and most of all, praying. The Lord wants to heal us. So even if there is a glimpse of hope just by touching His cloak, that is, any available means, we should be receptive because the Lord wants to heal us. He comes to heal us in many ways and through various means. All we need to do is to keep on praying and believing. He will send us His messenger or He Himself would heal us. So like the woman, have hope and have faith in Jesus.
Jesus is not just our Hope but our final hope too. In the story of the cure of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus was certainly the last hope. When all thought that his daughter was beyond help, the Lord came to raise her back to life. All those without faith could only say she was dead. “Why put the master to any further trouble?” And they were “weeping and wailing unrestrainedly.” Some were even cynical, like many unbelievers today who are not open to the power of God and miracles. They think that only science can save them. Science is their god today. It is unfortunate and also an indication of a lack of faith that many of us when we are sick or in trouble, will only ask for prayers for healing when doctors cannot heal us. The first thing we should be doing is to pray for one another so that we can be healed.
Again, the same attitude is asked of us. “Do not be afraid; only have faith.” Those without faith will be turned out. “So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay.” Without faith, we will only be deprived of witnessing the power of God at work in our lives. If we have faith in Jesus, then the gospel says, power would come out from him. “Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘who touched my clothes?'” Similarly, because of the faith of the synagogue officials, Jesus anticipated His own power to rise from the dead upon His death by raising the daughter back to life. ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.'”
How can we strengthen our faith in the midst of so many discouraging voices and challenges? “With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us.” In other words, we must rely on the heroes of faith before us. The bible is full of examples and stories of those who have faith in God. We only need to contemplate on the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, the judges and the prophets especially Elijah, Isaiah, Amos and Jeremiah. Regardless of the opposition, they remained firm in their faith in God. In the New Testament, we also read of the faith of the apostles who preached the gospel in defiance against the earthly and religious authorities of the day. They were then ignorant, wanting power and glory, but now sought humiliation, suffering and martyrdom. Such were their faith that they performed miracles in the name of the Lord. We too must also imitate their examples and in turn give hope to others. Let us not miss out on any opportunity to give hope to people who are suffering or going through difficult times. We must not make people give up hope in life because of our discouraging words. Rather, if we are positive and affirming, they will persevere in their trials. What people need to hear are words of hope. Just a word of encouragement is all that they need. Give them a glimpse of that hope!
Most of all, the author reminds us to contemplate on the life, passion and death of our Lord. He urges us not to “lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage.” Indeed, only Jesus can show us what it means to be faithful to God and have faith in Him till the end. Even when betrayed and abandoned by His friends, and feeling the absence and silence of His Father on the cross, Jesus continued to place and surrender His life to Him, forgiving His enemies, praying for them; and commending His Spirit to His Father. He did not give up His faith, and He did not submit to the evil plans of His enemies. Compared to the suffering of Jesus “in the fight against sin” we “have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.”
So let us not be discouraged or be disheartened in the face of trials and sufferings. We will triumph in the end, in this life or in the next. Indeed, we should not fear too much about the future. Rather “Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future.” For the greater good our future and of the next generation, we must persevere and never give up hope. God will give us the grace to overcome all our trials. At times, He will show His power by healing us or removing our enemies. At other times, He allows us to suffer even unto death because He wants to give us a greater glory with Him. So let us praise the Lord at all times, in good or bad. “They shall praise you, Lord, those who seek you. My vows I will pay before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.” Those who seek the Lord will praise Him because we know that in faith, God has something better for us all the time. Even in the case of Jesus, although He was not exempted from the cross and from death, yet His death made it possible for Him to “take his place at the right of God’s throne.” It was His death that made the resurrection possible. It was His death and resurrection that made possible the establishment of the Kingdom of God and His Church. So too with Abraham and the heroes of faith in the bible! They did not see the promised glory on earth but they receive their reward in heaven. So let us walk by faith, not by sight.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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