In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Give me, O Lord, a firm faith that will help me to trust you always. Grant that my heart may never doubt your great power, that I may draw near to you as a son to his Father.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 5, 21-43
At that time, when Jesus returned in the boat to the other side of the lake, he stood on the shore, and there a large crowd gathered around him. Then one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, came to him. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded with him, “My daughter is dying. Come and lay hands on her that she may be healed and live.” Jesus went with him, and many people followed him and pressed in on him. Among the people was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. She had suffered much at the hands of the doctors and had spent all her fortune on it, but instead of getting better, she had grown worse. She heard about Jesus, came and approached him from behind in the crowd and touched his cloak, thinking that by touching his garment she would be cured. Immediately the source of her hemorrhage dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed. Jesus instantly noticed that a healing power had gone out of him, and he turned to the people and asked them, “Who touched my garment?” His disciples answered him, “You are seeing how the people are pushing you, and still you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ “ But he kept looking around, to find out who it had been. Then the woman came up, frightened and trembling, when she understood what had happened; she fell down at his feet and confessed the truth to him. Jesus reassured her, saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be healed of your disease.” While Jesus was still speaking, some servants came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue to say to him, “Your daughter has died. Why do you keep bothering the Teacher?” Jesus overheard what they were saying and said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; it is enough if you have faith.” He allowed only Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, to accompany him. When Jesus came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw the uproar of the people and heard their weeping and wailing. He went in and said to them, “What is the meaning of all this weeping and commotion? The child is not dead, she is asleep.” And they laughed at him. Then Jesus sent the crowd away, and with the girl's parents and those who were with them, he went in to where the girl was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitah, kum!” which means, “Hear me, little girl, arise!” The girl, who was twelve years old, immediately got up and started walking. They were all amazed. Jesus sternly ordered them not to tell anyone and commanded them to feed the child.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
This Gospel presents us with two examples of great faith, but I do not want to focus only on the faith of these characters, but on the way they approached Christ. We suppose that all those who were close to Jesus at that moment had faith in Him, but they did not receive a miracle like the one we see in Jairus and the hemorrhagic woman. It was not only their faith that healed them, but their way of approaching Christ. I imagine that if all the people who were at Christ's side had approached him as the two of them did, we would have a more extensive Gospel.
Jairus and the hemorrhagic woman followed three steps to approach Christ. First, they recognized their condition as needy creatures and the power of God. We must recognize that we can do nothing without God's help. Second, in approaching Jesus they did so with simplicity, trusting that whatever was going to happen to them was for the best. They accept God's will, knowing that to be fully happy they must fulfill it. They do not put measures on God, who allows them to take the next step. Finally, they trusted fully in God, they let Him into their lives. The trust they placed in Christ allowed them to obtain the grace they needed at that moment.
«These two episodes - a healing and a resurrection - have a single center: faith. The message is clear, and it can be summed up in one question, a question to ask ourselves: do we believe that Jesus can heal us and wake us from the dead?».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, June 28, 2015).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
I will make a visit to Christ the Eucharist, approaching him as Jairus and the hemorrhagic woman did, entrusting all my needs to him.
Farewell
We thank you, Lord, for all your benefits, you who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
