Monday of 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B: reflection

Theme: Our God is more powerful that all obstacles to your joy; approach Him with faith.

Reading: Mt 9:18–26

Dear friends, do you know that Jesus is more powerful than that thing that makes you wet your pillow with tears every night? Do you know He has the power to arrest those issues that seek to steal the joy of your life? The two miracles of today’s gospel reading assure us that Jesus has power over our joy killers or joy snatchers.

The first miracle was the healing of the woman with hemorrhage. Her sickness robbed her of her joy for 12 years. She spent all her treasures to recover her good health, but all her efforts yielded no positive fruit. But when she took her problem to Jesus, sickness — her joy killer — was conquered, and the joy of her life was restored.

The second miracle was the raising of the daughter of a ruler, Jairus, from the dead. It was said that the girl was 12 years old, which means she was at the threshold of adulthood or womanhood. So, death came to steal the joy of a little girl who was about to enter womanhood, as well as the joy her parents would have while watching their little girl grow into womanhood, because in the tradition of the Ancient Near East, at twelve years, girls are betrothed to their future husbands. When Jairus took his problem to Jesus, death — his family’s joy killer — was conquered, and his family’s joy was restored.

Did you notice that it was the faith of both the ruler and the woman that paved way for them to receive miracles from Jesus? The faith of the woman on that very day she was healed was so strong that even her physical barriers — the crowd — couldn’t stop her from reaching her target of touching the garment of Jesus. Also, the faith of the ruler in Jesus’ ability to restore his family’s joy was so strong to the point that even when news reached him that the daughter had died, he continued believing that Jesus will not fail him.

Dear friends, Jesus is capable of arresting your joy snatchers or joy killers, but you must march towards him to report your case with unwavering faith, the faith that conquers physical barriers and refuses to back down even when it seems God is delaying or when it appears that all hope is lost.

Walk to Him today with this unwavering faith and present your case. May your new week be abundantly blessed. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima