Scriptures: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43
Interruptions seem to be the
norm for me at work. I get to Daily
Bread between 7:00 & 7:10 in the morning, clients are allowed on campus at
7:00. It’s almost like they are waiting
for my truck to pull up, because I can’t even get to the Outreach Center door
when I hear, Deacon Joe, Deacon Joe! I’m
standing their balancing papers, bags, tools and often my morning travel mug of
coffee (can’t tell you how many time that has been dumped before I get a sip)
to the sound of “My clothes got all wet and I need…”; “I have a doctor’s
appointment this morning, can I get in the shower first?” “Someone stole my…”; “Fight!!”; “Call
911!”
Now I’m the kind of guy that
comes to work with a plan. I make lists,
pile my papers on my desk in order priority so that when the day begins, I'm
ready to get things done. Then reality
hits ... emails, the phone, the staff, volunteers, and my boss! You know I work for Deacon John, right? Let me tell you! Seriously, there are days when I go home warn
out yet feeling like I've accomplished nothing for all the darn interruptions!
I was complaining about my
frustrating interruptions one day to a good friend who reminded me, “Never
forget, the interruptions are the ministry.”
Well, this changed how I viewed my annoying interruptions.
Interruptions
are ministry opportunities.
Last week we touched on the
disciples’ walk with Jesus, how they’d seen Him cast out demons (Mk
1:25), cure
the sick (Mk 1:31),
cleanse lepers (Mk 1:42), heal a paralytic (Mk
2:9), and make
a withered hand whole (Mk 3:5). In most cases, these acts were interruptions
to what Jesus was doing & going.
Today’s Gospel is no different.
I’m sure Jesus’ plan was to continue teaching to the crowds that were
pressing upon him when a synagogue official (Jarius) interrupts him saying, “My
daughter is at the point of death. Please come lay your hands on her that she
may get well and live.” (Mk 5:23) And Jesus went off with him. While they were on the way, “… a woman,
afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.” (Mk 5:25) interrupts the first
interruption, and what does Jesus do? “Go
away lady, can’t you see I’m busy with this other interruption?” or “I can’t believe you touched me, now I’m
ritually unclean and can’t help this official!”
There are some amazing things
happening in these two particular interruptions we need to explore. First, who are these people interrupting
Jesus; second is identifying the source / the power making these miracles
possible; and third what nugget do we get to take away.
Think
about the two interrupters. Jarius is a
man of position, wealth and influence, the nameless woman is a nobody. Her hemorrhaging makes her ritually unclean
and unfit for relationships of any kind.
Yet Jesus does not hesitate in either case to drop everything he's doing
to be part of their interruption, and God's interruption in their lives. The healings were possible because of their
faith, "Daughter your faith has healed you." (Mk
5:34) Faith--a
trusting openness--plays a key role.
Each person reached out to Jesus and received, not just a physical
healing, but a community healing as well.
Each person healed can re-enter the communal life. The child is restored to life with the living
and the woman, whose "social-suffering" as an untouchable for 12
years, is now healed and able to enter into community relationships once again.
There's
an invitation here for us, too. Last
week Mark uses Jesus' stilling of the storm to show his divine power over
nature, this weeks' healing stories show Jesus' power over death, sickness, and
exclusion. When we can reach out in
faith, with a trusting openness, and receive Jesus' body and blood, soul and divinity,
we can be healed, physically and socially.
It becomes our encouragement not to lose heart when other voices
challenge or deny by telling us that we're wrong (about the real presence, the
Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Marriage), that it's just no use,
encouraging us to simply give up and close the door.
It’s an interruption, an
evangelization & ministry opportunity.
All
we have to do is trust to the point of knowing all we have to do is to get next
to Jesus, touch the hem of his garment and our life will take a different turn.
In
the book of Wisdom we read that death entered the world through the envy of the
devil. He is alive and working in our
modern society. St. Paul says in the
second letter to the Corinthians that Jesus gave up the riches of immortality
and shared our death, so that he could enrich us who are dead in our sins.[1]
Jesus is the Way and the Truth. The healing and wholeness which Jesus offers doesn't
insure every ailment or suffering will end immediately, or we won't die, or
everything will turn out just the way we want it all the time. It does affirm that even death will not be
the end of the story. It is another
interruption, an opportunity for God to do what God has shown us in Jesus
Christ.[2]
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