In the gospel of Mark, chapter five, Jesus encounters two people who had faith in Him: Jairus, a synagogue official, and a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years. Faith is a special gift and it implies a personal belief in someone. This someone in today’s gospel is Jesus in whom Jairus and the woman put their faith.

For the Christian, it is true to say, “where there’s faith, there is life.” If you are looking for signs of life in a given situation, then, you must also look for signs of faith for faith leads to life. This is what happened to Jairus and the woman in today’s story. Their faith in Jesus was the prerequisite for the gift of life they received. In a sense, life springs from faith for faith breeds life. The faith of Jairus and the woman in this gospel story resulted in new life being given back to them. The woman was cured of her hemorrhage, and Jairus’s daughter was restored to life.

Veiled in this Gospel story, however, is the powerful faith of Jesus Himself. Jesus’ faith in his Father and in His own mission underlies today’s gospel. He does not hesitate when approached by Jairus and the woman. Even when harbingers of death berate Him and His mission, Jesus’ faith is unwavering. When touched by the woman, even though no one else except Jesus noticed that she touched His garment, He shares His faith with her. He announces her healing through the gift of new life for all to see. Finally, when Jesus reaches the daughter of Jairus, He proves His awesome faith again by saving the life of the girl: “little girl, get up.”

Jesus’ faith withstands and overcomes all the disbelief and fear He encounters. His faith is a model for our own. Life is filled with doomsayers, like those who ridiculed Jesus. He shows us the meaning and the necessity of grounding ourselves in faith. Faith is the root of our spiritual life. Hope is the shoot. And love is the fruit. These three great, interconnected virtues are the bedrock of the Christian way of life. They ground us in Jesus, the Way, because He is Love. They ground us in Jesus, the Truth, because He reveals the Truths of the Kingdom. And they ground us in Jesus, the Life, because He offers us Hope to be more than we are. Faith, Hope, and Love, the indispensable means of following Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Often we feel that our faith is too weak, too filled with questions, never pure enough. Such fickleness makes us afraid of faith or tells us that it is presumptuous to ask God for what we need. But seeking, questioning, and asking God are all operations of faith and the faithful person who will not submit to the pressure of fear.

The God of life is revealed even in our feeblest attempts to live faith-filled lives. This is why Jesus says: “Fear is useless. What is needed is faith.”

So, go ahead: ask, trust and receive the gift of new life.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy