Desire to meet

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Consideration for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, year B1

Two aspects seem important to me today. First, a God who does not look at human judgments as to whether something or someone is clean or unclean, worthy or unworthy of something. God meets man and strives to meet him personally – as he is in his poverty. Jesus, demanding that the person who touched him be exposed, does not want to humiliate him, but wants to show everyone that from now on there is no division into what is clean and what is unclean. Jesus wants to show that anyone can turn to God, whether he or others say he is unworthy.

I often find myself finding myself unworthy to enter into dialogue with the Father. It happens to me for several days not to speak to him or not to look at the Bible, because I think that in my sinfulness I should not talk to God. I’m just simply scared. And it is worth paying attention to the detail that Matthew gives in describing the same story (Mt 9:20). Namely, that the woman touched the fringe of the cloak, literally tzitzit. It was the most sacred garment of a pious Jew that reminded him of the covenant and the commandment to keep the commandments. Impurity touches the holy place. No wonder the woman, touching from behind, was simply afraid of Jesus’ reaction and the crowd. But Jesus does not condemn her! On the contrary, it frees her of her burdens!

Likewise, Jesus ignores what the people who mourn the death of Jairus’ daughter think, say, or do. It can even be considered as impudent towards them. He throws them out, takes his own and goes to the girl. By touching a corpse, he draws impurity upon himself. He breaks the law again to give life to a man. Jesus sees Jairus’ thirst and faith and responds to it. And this is the second aspect of today’s Word, which is a call to faith and a personal encounter with God.

The woman “heard about Jesus”, heard that He was working miracles, and therefore she surreptitiously wanted to touch Him. Touch not just anything but exactly this coat fringe. Ideally, no one should see. By revealing this, Jesus wants to meet her. He also emphasizes that “faith has healed you.” Not a coat, not a fringe, not even a touch, but faith and trust!

The healing of a woman happens as if “by accident”, because Jesus was going to see Jairus’ daughter, who was still dying. The whole situation probably took some time. Only the servants of the superior came to announce that there was no point in going to the girl, because she was already dead. At this point, Jairus must have felt a mixture of sadness, bitterness, and rage at Jesus and the woman. After all, had it not been for this situation, probably Jesus would have arrived before his daughter’s death, and here the meatball after the competition. “It makes no sense to bother the Master.” Are you sure?

Or maybe it was not a coincidence at all? Perhaps this was to make Jairus trust even more and believe in the saving power of Christ?

I read these scenes as an invitation to deeper trust and to cry out loud to my Lord and Master: Jesus, increase my faith so that I may have the courage to touch You, always and everywhere! Whether I myself or others consider me worthy or unworthy to stand before You, Father, as your son and ask for healing!