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 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
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.
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
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
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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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
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