Gospel
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to him,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

The word of the Lord

Remnants of grievances

Throughout a marriage’s journey, there may be lingering issues, akin to traces of unresolved offenses that burden the union of spouses, much like the woman with the long-standing issue of blood. What to do? Seek the intervention of the Most Holy Sacrament, let His hands be laid upon, and hear His comforting words, “I speak to you, my child, arise.”

Applied to Married life:
Charles: I’ve resisted your suggestions for quite some time, but I observe in you a tranquility and joy that elude me. I envy those who hold faith, but I find myself unable.
Alpa (Charles wife): Neither you nor anyone else can provide faith, but if you desire, God can grant it.
Charles: I do want it, but how?
Alpa: Join me in experiencing faith. Come, witness it.
Charles: Where?
Alpa: I’ll introduce you to a group of married couples with faith. Soak in their experiences. Seek their testimonies. Then, I invite you to share in daily prayers with me. You will gradually build a personal connection with the One who embodies the Truth. Over time, you’ll witness miracles in your life, unexplainable changes that will increasingly convince you. Just act as if you believe.
(And after a few months, the miraculous transformation occurred. Charles embraced faith because he chose to believe. God found a dwelling within him, bringing peace and joy into his life.)

Mother,
Jesus desires a personal connection with me, with me! He sought to encounter the woman with the issue of blood for that vital personal touch she needed for her conversion. It is the proximity to Him that heals and rescues us. Praise be to the Lord who instills faith in us.