Wisdom 1:13-15 / 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15 / Mark 5:21-43
There are three ideals in life that we wish for. We want to be healthy, we want to be wealthy and we want to be free of worry.
If we can ever have these three ideals in life, then we will be happy, then we should be happy.
But happiness in life comes and goes. And that is because health and wealth come and go, and we worry about both.
And the folly of life is this: we spend our health trying to gain wealth, and then we spend our wealth trying to regain our health.
Regardless of our status in life, no one is exempted from the worries of health and wealth.
With all these worries in life, we may wonder what is the purpose and meaning of life.
More so, when we are afflicted with sickness and struggling with financial difficulties, we will be desperate for solutions.
And it is in times like these, that God speaks to us.
In today's gospel, we hear the Good News of God's love and care for us, especially in our suffering.
There was the synagogue official, Jairus by name, and then there was that unidentified woman who was suffering from haemorrhage for 12 years.
Both of them were from different social status, and backgrounds. But both had a need.
Jairus came before Jesus, fell at His feet and pleaded earnestly for his daughter, who was desperately sick.
The woman, who shouldn't be in public because of her condition, came up behind Jesus through the crowd to touch His cloak, hoping to find a cure.
In the gospel message, there is like a story within a story.
But the gospel passage also has this Good News to tell us.
That regardless of status, personality or background, God cares for all and hears every prayer.
Jairus came before Jesus, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him for his daughter.
The woman, on the other hand, came up quietly from behind Jesus to touch His cloak without telling him.
The Good News is that in the end, both received what they hoped and longed for.
And Jesus pointed out what it was that their prayers were answered.
Jairus and the unidentified woman both had faith in Jesus.
Today's gospel passage serves to reinforce our faith in God.
The 1st reading also tells us that God created us in the image of His own nature.
So, we are created in God's love and created with God's love.
Regardless of our status, personality or background, when we come before the Lord with our needs, He will hear our prayer.
So, in the sunshine of our confidence, let us give thanks to God with a grateful heart.
In the darkness of our doubt, let us be humble and plead with the Lord.
Whether we are like Jairus pleading with Jesus, or like the woman who came up from behind Jesus to touch His cloak, God knows our needs.
More than health or wealth, God wants us to have faith in Him.
With faith in God, we know our prayer will be heard, and with faith we wait for God to grant us our needs.