June 27, 2021 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Lectionary: 98)
Reading I 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 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.
Alleluia Cf. 2 Tm 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 5:21-43 or 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.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
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.
OR:
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.
By Noah Fonacier
Today’s readings trace a neat line through Resurrection history. Beginning with the first reading, I am reminded of my original and most authentic identity as the imago Dei, or the image of God which has been blurred by Satan’s envy. In the second reading, St. Paul calls to mind the poverty Jesus took on so that we could be redeemed. Finally, the Gospel reading foretells the culmination of the Resurrection as Jesus raises a beloved daughter with an affectionate phrase, “Talitha koum”, or “Little one, I say to you, arise!”
More than a foretelling, however, the phrase gently reminds me of the great trajectory of life in Christ: Upwards.
“Arise”, He says.
The Lord knows I desperately need a warm nudge in this season of life as everything seems to feel disorientating. This new season brought with it unique adversities within relationships, my social life, and the overwhelming discernment of career plans (new grad, pray for me!). However, one of my most trying tasks thus far has been recovering from the throes of post-quarantine ruins. Hailing from an energetic life of youth ministry, college, and work with all of the fix-ins on top, the COVID-induced halt on life made me feel quite directionless and stranded. And with it, my life in Christ.
My spiritual life became passive, lazy, and even selfish.
I’d come to God in prayer or worship merely to check it off my list like a chore. I began to question what worth I had while stuck in my room. Humbly, I realized I put my worth in worldly activities and how productive I felt. Holiness became seemingly unattainable. like a mere passing thought rather than the direction of Christian life.
Yet, Jesus was gentle. He says, “Arise.”
Some biblical scholars believe the evangelists preserved “Talitha koum” in the original Aramaic because it was a phrase that Jesus repeated often. Besides the catchy feeling it has off the tongue and the fact that Jesus likely raised many others from sickness, I like to think Jesus said it often because His disciples genuinely needed a reminder of their spiritual course. And that’s truly reassuring because I find myself directionless and in need of the same reminder some 2000 years later.
St. Athanasius says it best, “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.”
As such, the readings reassured me that holiness isn’t merely plausible, but something I was designed for in God’s creative mind.
And while I am most definitely still in construction, I seek refuge in the counsel of our St. Mother Teresa to find my own Calcutta. I delight in the little victories I can claim here and there, whether a tiny moment in adoration or just staying awake to finish night prayer; anything to keep me pointed upwards. And even still, even though the enemy disorientates my direction sometimes, Jesus gently extends His hand and tells me, “Arise.”
Talitha, little one, pray for us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Noah Fonacier is a fresh graduate from California State University: Fullerton where he studied Business Marketing. He is a parishioner at St. Paul the Apostle where he engages in youth ministry. Noah loves all things Catholic and is particularly drawn to the great beauty of Tradition. His absolute dream is to open his own brewery someday. Follow him on Instagram here.