Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Sun. July 1, 2012)

Transcript of Father Swann's Homily:

Today’s readings reinforce for us the undeniable reality that suffering is not unique to us or to our times, and that we know very little about the ultimate meaning of death. Wars, hunger, economic disasters abound and may bring us to despair; personal illness, pain, and loss in our families may cause us to lose hope. Sometimes we feel as if we are alone in our pain; we ask, Why me?

And then we read of David’s immense sorrow at the death of his friend Jonathan; we read of Paul’s urgent call for help for the starving in Jerusalem, and hear Jairus’ cry, “O Jesus come touch my daughter so she may healed,” and we recognize that we live in a world that has always contained profound tragedy and that our experiences are not unique. We also are reminded that despite much suffering and destruction, plagues, and starvation, human beings continue to survive and to multiply.

This kind of “endurance” gives us hope in a world where the “predictors of doom” arrive in every generation “to howl in apocalyptic fear.” Some do so out of a tragic misunderstanding of Scripture; others because it suits their purposes, or because of idolatry. It is with astonishment that people of faith hear that 2012 was predicted as the year for the destruction of the world, and that there are youngsters and even adults among us who are terribly afraid because of such predictions; they listen to those who have no faith in a loving God, and not having been taught the truth, allow fear to rob them of hope.

Listen to the contrast in the words of the psalmist:

I wait for the Lord, my soul
waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for
the morning,
more than those who watch for
the morning.

This is the balanced perspective and focus of a person of faith: wait on the Lord. Living and faith both require patience – wait on the Lord. Fear is the result of having no one greater than ourselves to look to. Waiting on the Lord takes away fear.

St. Paul adds another dimension to this waiting – acting in faith. Despite his apparent conviction that the Lord Jesus would return soon, Paul does not hesitate to look after the living. In his great effort to feed the starving in Jerusalem, he is not hesitant to ask for help from all those he had brought to Christ. He is not one to say, “Ignore the poor, ignore the hungry, because soon we all will be taken up.” He knows that life is a gift of God, that it is good, and that the bodies of children and adults must be fed. St. Paul knows what matters because he compares everything to the ultimate gift instead of to apocalyptic fears: “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

Listening to Paul helps things “fall into place,” helps us achieve a mental and spiritual balance when we focus on the redemptive work of God through Jesus Christ.

And finally, let us look at Jesus. His two encounters in today’s story, one with a sick woman and the other with a dying girl in Capernaum came at a time when Jesus was at his most popular. Hundreds of people followed him wherever he went. The scene is riveting.

He has just arrived by boat and is immediately surrounded by people who are in need of hearing words of hope, by those who are sick and need to be healed, and by the curious.

A man, Jarius, obviously important in his city and synagogue, runs to him, falls on his knees and begs for the life of his child. He says; “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” Is there a more helpless, a more desperate feeling than having one of your children become critically ill? Is there ever a “darker” time than that?

Jesus does not hesitate. He leaves the crowds to go with this father in need. Jarius, the ruler of the Synagogue, knows that his colleagues “would NOT look well” on the fact that he had invited Jesus into his home to heal his little girl. They would be shocked. After all--- What credentials did Jesus have?? By what “authority” did he heal?” None of that mattered at this point.

The Jairus story gets even worse--- servants meet them with the bad news- they tell him ; “Your daughter is dead!” At this point Jesus puts his hand on Jairus shoulder and says ;”Do not fear, only believe.” When they arrived at his house- people were weeping and wailing—and Jesus says—“Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is NOT dead but sleeping.” Then Jesus says, “ Little girl, get up!” And with that- the girl got up and started walking around. Jesus then tells them- “ Give her something to eat.”

The people who had mocked Jesus—had seen that Jesus gave Jairus and his family the gift of life restored.

The other miracle in today’s Gospel story was when a stooped woman approaches and touches his cloak. Not a big deal. He is surrounded by so many people that she is sure no one will notice; she is convinced that the touch will heal her, and it does. Simple enough.

What is unusual about this story is that Jesus stops and asks, “Who touched my clothes?” When the disciples express amusement and surprise at his question, another reporter of this story tells us that Jesus responded that he felt power going out of him. What a remarkable reaction.

There was something in the woman’s immense faith, a total conviction that after years of suffering, she had found the cure in the person of Jesus, and the energy of that faith was more powerful than all the shoving and pulling of the crowd. One touch of utter faith calls forth the creative power of the divine, and healing occurs. The connection of Jesus to the source of life and love, to the one he called Father, is so intense and unbroken that it is like electricity: Jairus “plugs into it” and receives hope, and the woman “plugs into it” and receives healing. Nothing else matters and nothing interferes with Jesus’ purpose. Two people with specific needs have reached out to him and he knows that he can help them. He does.

There is so much fear in this country and in the world today: fear of “the other,” fear of losing a job and not being able to pay the mortgage, fear of crazy people with guns, fear of not succeeding, oh, so many fears. How do we confront them?

The psalmist’s answer is to “wait on the Lord;” St. Paul’s answer is to remember what Jesus did for us; and Jesus’ answer is to be whole. This wholeness, “holiness” in theological terms, is possible only when we are focused on the one who brought us to new life with a trust so complete that it takes away fear, even fear of death.

For that “thanks be to God.”  AMEN.