God fashioned us in his own image so that we might have being. He fashioned us for life, not for death. We hear this message from the book of Wisdom today. It is through this new life we receive from God, from our desire and longing to connect with him, & from the presence of the divine essence we experiences in our lives, that propels us to grow in our relationship with Christ.
We hear from the 5th chapter of Mark’s Gospel today. Just prior to this, while the disciples were frightened by a terrible storm, while Jesus himself was asleep in the stern of the boat, Jesus awakened and asked his disciples: "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" That is a question Jesus poses to all of us: Do you not have faith? - because faith is at the heart of Christ’s Good News. But faith is not a nebulous, ambiguous concept; it is connected to a personal relationship with Christ and our interconnected relationship with our brothers and sisters.
In our Gospel today, Christ has just traveled to the other side with his disciples on a boat. The crowd gathered there wanted to see what he is all about. A synagogue official comes out of the crowd,falling at Jesus’ feet, pleading for him to heal his daughter. Another woman appears out of the crowd as well: she touches Jesus, wanting to be cured, knowing that his touch can save her. All this takes place in the midst of the community, in the midst of the people. We as Christians are to be in the midst of the reality of the community, in the midst of the people as well. Pope Francis has told his priests when he first was elected Pope: I want you to be out with the people like Jesus was; I want you to be out there with your flock; I need you to be shepherds that smell like your sheep. I wish I could invite Pope Francis to spend a few days at St Jude, seeing us ministering to the residents of Whitfield Hospital and to the prisoners at the state prison, having Spanish masses here in our parish, helping out the Carmelite nuns in south Jackson, visiting the children at Vacation Bible School and serving with the youth at their Homework service experience, seeing the different ways we are in the midst of the people, in the midst of their reality.
I cannot imagine the bravery of the woman suffering from hemorrhages as she reached out to Jesus in the midst of that busy crowd. For 12 long years she had been suffering with no help from the doctors. She had no answers, only frustration and confusion. In fear and trembling, she tells Jesus the truth. Like this brave woman, we are all called to meet Jesus in our reality. And community is an important part of that reality. It is hard to believe I came to Mississippi 18 years ago this summer as a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps at Ole Miss; I was assigned to teach Spanish at Greenville High School. In a way, it is a good thing I didn’t know what that reality was all about, as it was often very harsh and challenging. I remember having taught in Greenville for several weeks when a student came up to me after class. She spoke to me: “Mr. Dall. My mom heard that you were Catholic. We are too. We want to invite you to our church.” I responded that I have been attending the Catholic parish in town, St Joe. But she responded that there are two Catholic churches in Greenville, that her family attended the other one. It was not until I arrived at that church the next Sunday that I learned it was the historically African American parish in Greenville. What happened after mass astounded me. The priest and so many parishioners came up to me, spoke to me, and welcomed me to their parish, hoping that I would continue to go there. When they heard I was a teacher and a former lay missionary, they immediately asked me if I would teach religious education there to the youth, if I would help out with the youth group. I felt so welcomed there, which made a big difference. Community is an important aspect of our Catholic faith – an essential aspect. Serving in the community and being a part of the community is a big part of our faith. We want to be a welcoming parish here at St Jude. We want our visitors and our members to feel welcome here – to feel a part of our community of faith.
The new evangelization call in our Church us to grow in our faith, to be strong in our faith, and out of that faith, to reach out and evangelize. As we reflect on our Gospel message today, may we hear and respond to that call.
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