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June 28, 2009

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Reading 1
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Reading II
2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters:
As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,
knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality
your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,
so that their abundance may also supply your needs,
that there may be equality.
As it is written:
Whoever had much did not have more,
and whoever had little did not have less.

Gospel:

Mk 5:21-24, 35b-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 and pressed upon him.

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.

In early 1969, while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I took the opportunity to visit the beach and coast of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, along with a friend of mine.  It was a very relaxing stay, viewing the beauty of the sun going down fading away into the ocean waters.  I realized then that anyone who visited or lived near the ocean beach were very blessed in that way.  The beauty of the sun and water and sand combined to lift the human spirit and renew a tired body, mind, and soul.  But at the same time, anyone who lives on the coast and has experienced the dreadfulness of a hurricane, the ocean is also a powerful force for destruction and terror.

        Perhaps much in our lives is like a ship on a stormy sea and if we can maintain a daily personal relationship with God, will be assured that He will give us the anchor and the direction that we need to make it through those stormy times.  Certainly Jairus was facing such a storm at the dying of his twelve year old daughter, when he went to Jesus and implored him to make her well and alive.  But because of his tremendous faith and trust in our Lord, the storm he feared did not come to pass, at least not at this time.

        It is unfortunate that the entire text of Job isn’t included in the first reading this week.  This poem proclaims the wonders of God moving from the dawn of creation and spanning the depth and breadth of the universe.  By posing a series of provocative questions we are literally humbled by our inability to respond to them.

        The answer to all of the questions is “no.”  We really know very little about the inner workings of God’s mind and the complex realities of human existence.  We can only stand in awe and wonder.  We have so very few answers to the mysteries of life.  “Thus for shall you come but no farther, and here shall you’re your proud waves be stilled!”

        Ultimately, we can’t understand the ways of God in human history.  We can only trust in the Lord as the wind and waves of change wash over our lives, most especially in this country during these times of uncertainly, turmoil, and moral decay of  our elected servants, who are so far away from God and so anti-Christian, that we have much reason to be afraid of the outcome.  Though this isn’t easy to do, we should have the humility to admit the limits of our human knowledge.  But at the same time, in His holy name it is right and just that we seek every justified means of saving our Christian identity for this country as One nation, Under God, with Justice and Liberty for all.

        Paul reminds us that everything must be seen through the prism of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Because of this profound and earth shattering event, the whole world has been reconciled.  Our faith in Jesus transforms and transfigures us into a new creation, amid all of  the suffering and chaos and injustices inflicted upon us.  The whole universe is filled with the surrounding and lasting presence of Jesus, though so many do not even know it or accept it.

        Jesus is not asleep for he is simply resting.  I know that at times it is hard to believe.  But he waits for our faith response.  When we carry out the work of Jesus, we may often feel that he is asleep.  However, Jesus’ presence is the constant calm in the midst of our storm, whether it is the situation in our country, the death of a loved one, a lost job, a financial crisis, the tragedy of abortion, a sudden illness, or even the worse disappointment in our lives.  No storm can stop the work, wisdom, and wonders of our Lord.  If we choose to stand alone during the storms in our lives, without Him, without each other, without community, then the storm will swallow us up.  But if we put our trust in Jesus, nurture ourselves with His body and blood, his unconditional love and forgiveness, and turn to each other for strength, the final outcome will be that the storm will be less severe, and with enough faith and trust, perhaps even pass all together.

I hope that this was meaningful to you.

Wishing each of you a grace filled week, yours in Christ –

Me, the least of His servants.

© Deacon Steve A. Politte

June 27^th, 2009