Little girl, I tell you get up

‘LOO, THAT I MAY SEE.’

THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE IS THE ONE IN THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY FOR TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME. IT WAS NOT HEARD BECAUSE OF THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE ON FEB 2^ND.

 Mark 5: 21· 43

Little girl, I tell you get up.

1.      When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side,

2.      a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside.

3.      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.'

4.      Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

5.      Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse.

6.      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.'

7.      And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.

8.      Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?'

9.      His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, "Who touched me?'"

10. But he continued to look all round to see who had done it.

11. 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.

12. 'My daughter,' he said 'your faith has restored you to health; ‘go in peace and be free from your complaint'

13. 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?'

14. But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official,

15. 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.'

16. and he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James,

17. 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.'

18. But they laughed at him.

19. So he turned them all out

20. and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions,

21. he went into the place where the child lay.

22. And taking the child by the hand

23. he said to her, 'Talitha, kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.'

24. The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old.

25.  At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it,

26. and told them to give her something to eat.

‘Do not be afraid. Only have faith.’ – this is the key. Faith here means to trust completely in the loving power of the Lord. It is surrendering to him. If we do, then all will be well.

The secret is to get close to Jesus through faith and prayer and to trust completely in him. Without him we are helpless. With him, everything in the end will work out so well.

In this Gospel passage, we have two examples and models. In the first instance, she trusted completely that Jesus would heal her and so approached with confidence. In the second instance, he held on to his trust when he was about to give up. The message is ‘don’t give up, even if things look so bad.’ Blessed are we if we follow them. Have confidence in Jesus and don’t lose it even if the situation looks impossible.