Every Christian knows that the act of faith is challenging. One of the most particular signs of this challenge is the tension between what I believe, how I act and how God works in my life. Even the very access to God may be challenging for a believer. The complicated daily situations may discourage us in faith. So many times, we can hear people saying that it is not fair that many of those who don’t believe have an easy life and fewer problems than Catholics. At the same time, many Christians struggle, not only with social persecution but also with illness, experiencing the difficulty of the sickness of loved ones. Paradoxically, there is some truth in it. In the context of the suffering of innocents, the complexity of situations put the faith of a lot of people into challenges. The paradox is often used by atheists as an argument for the absurdity of the Christian believes. We can take and understand these challenges in the context of the Gospel, and today’s passage gives us consolation in them.
Looking carefully at the characters in today’s passage, it is visible that the woman’s and Jairus’ desires for healing bring them to the Saviour. It is a mystery that those demanding, sad situations became the way to Jesus for those people. It also shows the gradualness of the process of faith for them. First is the physical need for healing. Jesus puts to the proof the desire for healing in both cases – the woman who suffers from a haemorrhage is challenged by Jesus, and Jairus’ daughter dies in the meantime. It demands their internal attitude and decision to believe in Jesus.
Two weeks ago, we considered the virtue of patience. Today, I think we can consider the virtue of fortitude in the context of our faith. Fortitude is not only linked with our attitude towards the external world but also with our faith and spiritual life. It’s not unusual that even though one can see all of the signs from God, one still is reluctant or tempted to abandon the way of holiness. The main characters of today’s Gospel experience the miraculous power of God thanks to their fortitude. They passed through the challenge and kept being faithful to their trust in Jesus. Let us pray to God for the gift of fortitude for us as well, so we keep coming to Jesus in our needs and don’t abandon Him in our trials.
Łukasz Gołąb – Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Sydney, Australia
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