For this week’s homily, please watch the video below.

We’re reading two miracle stories that Mark puts together in his Gospel.

The story of the little girl from Capernaum, who dies and rises from the dead is obviously the most spectacular.  There are so many interesting details in this story. A little girl is dying. Her father, an official of the Synagogue named Jairus went to Jesus to ask that he put his hands on her and make her well.  Before  Jesus gets to the house, followed by a large crowd, the girl has died and word comes:  it’s  no use,

But Jesus tells them to have faith,  the child’s not dead, but asleep, and they ridicule him. Jesus goes into the house with the girls’ father and mother and some of his own disciples. He takes the dead girl’s hand and says “Talitha koum” , Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, which means “Little girl, get up..” ” The girl, a child of twelve, gets up and walks around.. Jesus says not to tell anyone, and then he says to them, give her something to eat.

The main lesson of the story is that Jesus has the power to raise us from the dead, yet you can hear in the crowd the human reaction. No, it’s not possible. This is a resurrection story.

Besides that big lesson, there are so many beautiful little details. “Talitha koum.” “Little girl get up. “Give her something to eat.”

Then, there’s the other story Mark wants us to hear. He interrupts the dramatic story of the little girl to tell us about a woman– she has no name– who has had hemorrhages for twelve years and spent all her money on doctors. Obviously she’s poor, broke and stressed out. She pushes through the crowd that’s on the way to Jairus’ house and touches Jesus cloak and is cured. 

Jesus recognizes her and calls for her. “In fear and trembling” she approaches him. “Daughter,” Jesus says to her, “ your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” To Jesus the woman is his “daughter,” like the daughter of Jairus. The woman who comes in the crowd, even if she seems like a nobody,  is also someone dear to him.

Maybe Mark wants us to be aware that she represents the many ordinary people God loves and the many simple cures God works for them. You don’t have to be the daughter of a synagogue official. Someone known in the church. The power of Jesus goes out to all kinds of people in the crowd. Every one of us is known to him.

I read somewhere recently that the picture of the woman touching Jesus’ garment was one of the most popular pictures in the catacombs in Rome where early Christians  buried their death. I wonder if her story reminded them that Jesus loved ordinary people too. 

After the 2nd Vatican Council they published a catechism and the Vatican ask the publishers of the catechism to put the picture of the woman touching Jesus’ garments at the beginning of the section on the sacraments. The sacraments as the garments of Christ. When we touch them his power goes out to us.