Catechism
Links[1]
CCC 548-549, 646, 994: Jesus raises the dead
CCC 1009-1014: Death transformed by Christ
CCC 1042-1050: Hope for a new heaven and a new earth
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| “Christ Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus” by Friedrich Overbeck, 1815 |
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Wisdom 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.
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Commentary on Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
The author of Wisdom speaks of
“spiritual” death in this first part of the book (there is a general
indifference to the physical life of the body throughout). The Wisdom passage
is part of a general statement that,
through living a just life in accord with the wisdom of God, one achieves
salvation. This notion of eternal life of the spirit is emphasized, and the
idea that nothing on the physical plane can cause spiritual death is
strengthened (“there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of
the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying”). Wisdom proposes,
however, that spiritual death enters through the devil, who may pervert the
spirit and ultimately claim the victory of death.
CCC: Wis 1:13 413, 1008; Wis 2:23-24 1008; Wis 2:24 391, 413, 2538
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Responsorial Psalm: 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.
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Commentary on Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13
Psalm 30 is an individual hymn of
praise. In this selection we find the singer praising God for deliverance. In
the second part, others are asked to join in the hymn and then there is a
return to thanks and praise in the final strophe. The image of resurrection is
clearly evident in the first strophe: “O Lord, you brought me up from the
netherworld; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.”
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Reading II: 2
Corinthians 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.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15
St. Paul continues an appeal to the
church at Corinth for funds to support the Church of Jerusalem. In this section
of that appeal, he uses the gracious act of Jesus, who gave up his wealth (his
preexistence with the Heavenly Father) for poverty (his earthly life). He then
proceeds to introduce the discussion of equality between the various parts of
the Body of Christ (the Church). The Apostle encourages this fiscal equality to
the extent possible, but not to the extent where the donor becomes poorer than
the recipient of the donation. He concludes with a quote from Exodus 16: 18, using the
example of the rules imposed about manna gathered in the desert.
CCC: 2 Cor 8:1-15 2833; 2 Cor 8:9 517, 1351, 2407, 2546
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Gospel: Mark
5:21-43
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.
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Commentary on Mk 5:21-43
This selection from Mark’s Gospel
begins with Jesus continuing his journey of healing. The passage relates two
interwoven examples of the power of faith in healing. First, the synagogue
official’s plea to Jesus to heal his daughter is presented. This is important
from the standpoint that it is recognition of Jesus' status by the local faith
community. An official from the synagogue would only consult with one widely
recognized as an authority in spiritual matters.
On the way to the little girl, a
woman with a hemorrhage that had been incurable by local physicians pressed in
close and touched his cloak. She was cured; it was as if her faith reached out
and touched Jesus. This was unlike the others crowded around, because he felt
her touch among all the others. He turned and was able to specifically identify
her. The Lord’s words to her were: “…your faith has saved you.”
Arriving at the synagogue
official's house, Jairus’ faith was tested a second time as he was informed his
daughter had died. Jesus ignored these reports and proceeded to reward Jairus’
faith by bringing his daughter back from death, a sign of his mission to all
mankind.
CCC: Mk 5:21-42 994; Mk 5:25-34 548; Mk 5:28 2616; Mk 5:34 1504; Mk 5:36 1504, 2616
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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.
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Commentary on Mk 5:21-24, 35b-43
This shortened form of the Gospel
omits the discourse about the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage. This
omission sharpens the Gospel focus on Christ’s mission for the salvation of
humanity through the new resurrection.
CCC: Mk 5:21-42 994; Mk 5:36 1504, 2616
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Reflection:
We reflect today about the entire notion of life and death
and how our Lord has triumphed over death. We begin with a consideration of the
reading from the book of Wisdom. The author gives us words of hope when he says
“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.”
We immediately think of life and death in spiritual terms because, unlike the
superstitious, we understand that the physical death of the body must come. It
is a biological fact. Anyone who has reached “old age” recognizes that
continuing life indefinitely in a body that will ultimately wear out is not a
happy prospect.
Does that mean that what we do in this physical life does
not matter? No. We offer as a crude analogy the early life of danaus plexippus, the Monarch Butterfly.
Like all butterflies and moths the early stage of the monarch's life is spent as
a larva. During this period of life, the caterpillar goes about eating and
performing its life functions. If it is greedy or careless it may be caught by
a predator or killed in some other way. Individuals who die that way never
become butterflies. They have died. However, those individuals who survive the
larval stage become pupas or chrysalides. To an untrained eye, they appear dead:
there is no movement, no animation to alert the observer that life exists
there. At the appointed time, metamorphosis occurs and the butterfly emerges
alive now but transformed.
The point of this analogy is not to try to demonstrate what
happens at the physical death of the human being. Rather it demonstrates the
linkage between decisions made during physical life in the body to the
prospects for eternal life in the spirit. If the spirit dies during our lives
in the body, it is dead. It is the possession of the evil one and death has its
victory. It is therefore imperative that we listen to God’s voice who is the
author of life and who has authority over it.
This authority is what we see demonstrated in the Gospel.
Jesus rewards the faith of Jairus by pushing aside the physical death of his
child. He does so in response to the spiritual plea of the man alive in faith.
Life responds to life.
The message we take away from our reflection on life and
death is that our life, the life God was pleased to give us, is precious and
should be viewed as such – a gift to be cared for. But life of the spirit is the true gift, the gift that animates the
flesh and is interwoven with it as we walk the world as Jesus did. God gives us
his commandments that we might receive the Lord’s promise and have eternal life
in the spirit. We rejoice in the path that leads to life, even though it is
difficult and fraught with pitfalls. We ask for his help as we walk upon the
way.
Pax
In Other Years on July 1st:
[In the Dioceses of the United States] Optional
Memorial for Saint Junipero Serra, Priest, with texts from
the Common of Pastors: for missionaries, or the Common of Holy Men and Women: for religious.
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation
for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture is “Christ
Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus” by Friedrich Overbeck, 1815
[4]
The readings are taken from the New
American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
