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WSC Reflection for July 1, 2012

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings:
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2: 23-24
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Mark 5:21-43

gods-love-embrace

Word:        Our faith in the Good Shepherd gives power to our community
Theme:      We demonstrate faith in the Good Shepherd when we exercise our gift of healing.
Promise:     “… faith has saved you” (Mk 5:34)

Reflection:  

In the first reading, we find God forming man and woman into His own image and likeness – divine and imperishable.  But the devil’s envy caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace.  And sin entered the world.  With sin, man became subject to suffering, sickness and death.  But God, our Father, sent Jesus, so that through His passion, death, and resurrection, we may be delivered from sin and the wages of sin which is death.  We can now aspire to attain the abundance of life and entry into God’s Kingdom through repentance from our sins and the cleansing blood of the Lamb.  We can be healed for “by His wounds, we are healed.” (1Pet 2:24)

In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates two kinds of physical healing.  The first was the healing of the woman suffering from hemorrhage for dozens of years.  She had spent her entire savings seeking a cure, but had no hope until she learned about Jesus.  Her faith, Jesus tells us, healed her.  The second healing was that of the daughter of Jarius, a synagogue official who, because of his love for his daughter, sought out Jesus.  Jarius humbled himself before Jesus, disregarding his exalted position as synagogue official and ignoring public disapproval for seeking the help of Jesus. In response, Jesus brought his daughter back to life, honoring Jairus’s love and earnest intercession.

Early in His Ministry, Jesus had said: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand,” ( Mt 4:17)   Later, after teaching  and showing His disciples the signs of the Kingdom, He  summoned them, and sent them out on mission, giving  them authority and instructing them to proclaim: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.  Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give, (Mt.10:1, 7-8).  At His ascension, He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, admonishing them yet again to: “Go out into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature… (and) to lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” (Mk 16:15, 18b)

As renewed disciples of Jesus Christ, baptized in the Holy Spirit and acknowledging Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we too have received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.   We have been healed of our former sinful life during that LSS and given the grace to persevere in living holy and righteous lives.  Because we have received Jesus in our hearts, we are obliged to bring Him to others by using these Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Like the first disciples, we too fall into unbelief and hardness of heart.  We say we cannot minister to those who need healing, claiming we do not have the gift of healing.  We also think wrongly that it is we who heal.  Actually, we don’t heal.  We are mere instruments of healing.  It is Jesus Christ who heals.  Our primary duty is to prepare the way for Jesus to give those who need healing, the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins (Lk 1: 76-77).

How then, can we bring Jesus and His healing love to others?  First, we should discern that our call to minister is the fruit of our prayer life and our relationship with Jesus.  We should be free of any mortal sin.  Otherwise, we should go to confession first, before attempting to administer healing to another.

Likewise, when the Lord leads us to the lonely, we should minister to them with a listening heart, and assure them that Jesus will always be with them as they pray.  When we are led to minister to those who are stressed from striving too hard, we can remind of Jesus’s invitation in Mt 11: 28-30: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest among yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and My burden light.”  When we are led to those who are ill, we are to treat them with compassion.  We should not abhor their condition especially when we go to hospitals.  Slowly, we can evangelize the ailing by reminding them that sickness was brought about by the sinfulness of mankind all the way back to our first parents.  There is so much sinfulness these days but what is important is for us to have that inner peace that Jesus promised.  If the sick express a desire to accept Jesus in their hearts, we should encourage and lead them to repentance and formal reception of the sacrament of reconciliation.  Then, with their permission, we can pray over them.

As we continue to obey Jesus’s command to bring His healing love to those who are sick, He will show evidence of healing to those we pray over.  This will build up our faith and Jesus will bring more people to us who are in need of His healing.  Then we can claim the Promise of the Week for those whom we pray over:  “…your faith has saved you. “  (Mk 5:34)

Reflection Questions:

1.    What hinders me from obeying the command of Jesus to heal the sick?
2.    How can I step out in faith and bring the healing love of Jesus to others?
3.    How can I deepen my relationship with Jesus?

Next Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
July 2, 2012 (Mon)         Am 2:6-10, 13-16/ Ps 50:16-23/ Mt 8:18-22
July 3, 2012 (Tue)        Eph 2:19-22/ Ps 117:1-2/ In 20:24-29
July 4, 2012 (Wed)        Am 5:14,15,21-24/ Ps 50:7-13, 16,17/Mt 8:28-34
July 5, 2012 (Thu)        Am 7:10-17/ Ps 19:8-11/ Mt 9:1-8
July 6, 2012  (Fri)    2 Am 8:4-6, 9-12/ Ps 119:2,10,20,30,40,131/ Mt 9:9-13
July 7, 2012  (Sat)        Am 9:11-15/ Ps 85:9-14/ Mt 9:14-17

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

 
 

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