Gospel of Mark. Chapter 5:36

Today’s scripture adds a new twist to the old saying, “where there’s life, there’s hope.” For the Christian, it seems truer to say, “where there’s faith there’s life.” If we are looking for signs of life in a given situation, then we must first look for signs of faith. For faith leads to life, as we can see in chapter five of St. Mark’s Gospel where the faith of the centurion and the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage were rewarded with New Life.

Biblical literature looks upon death not so much as the antithesis of life but as a part of life. Life is God’s gift. Death is the end of our mortal lives, and the entry into eternal life..

Scripture also reminds us that we are made “imperishable,” in the “image of” God’s “own nature.” The gospel of St. Mark, chapter five, deftly presents vivid examples of new life and, at the same time, links new life to the faith the people had in Jesus.

Today’s scripture has reference, not only to the faith of an unnamed woman and a small-time synagogue official, named Jairus. Veiled in the story is the powerful faith of Jesus Himself. Jesus’ faith in His Father and in His own mission underlies today’s Scripture. He does not hesitate when confronted by Jairus’ request. Jesus has faith and pursues it. When touched by the woman with the hemorrhage, Jesus shares His faith with her. He heals her. When He reaches the lifeless daughter of the official, He gives her life.

Jesus’ faith withstands and overcomes all the disbelief He encounters. His faith is a model for our own. Life, regrettably, is often filled with doomsayers. Jesus shows us the meaning and the necessity of grounding ourselves in faith. So grounded, we can, like Jesus, remain faithful and become life-givers.

Often we feel that our faith is too weak, too filled with questions, and never pure enough. Such weakness makes us afraid of faith. But seeking, questioning, and asking God are all operations of faith. The God of life is revealed even in our feeblest attempts to live faith-filled lives.
That is why Jesus says: “Be not afraid, but believe”.

Fr. Hugh Duffy