13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus’ encounter with Jairus and the interruption from the woman who desperately wanted to be healed both teach us how we might approach Jesus in prayer.

We all have fears and while we try to avoid thinking about them, it is good to bring them to the Lord in prayer.  Jairus feared he was going to lose his daughter, so he sought out Jesus.  The sick woman feared she would never get better and so she, too, in a humble, but literal way, also reached out to Jesus.  We do well also to go to Jesus and speak to Him about our fears.

Jairus and the sick woman both had fears, but more importantly, they both had faith.  They trusted Jesus and believed that He could help them.  Jairus was desperate to have Jesus come into his home and touch his daughter.  The sick woman simply wanted to touch the cloak of Jesus, believing that would be enough, and she hoped not to bother Him as she did so.  The two of them remind us that we are not all the same and the ways we go to Jesus are different.  But the Lord is always there waiting for us.  What we need to bring are faith and trust in the Lord.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples, “I call you my friends” and He says the same to us.  We should not hesitate to go to the Lord with our fears or whatever else we need to share with Him.  Jesus is a friend who loves us intimately and infinitely.  Once we come to know the love He has for us and the burning desire He has for us to speak with Him, we look forward to being with Him in prayer. It is then our fears are healed, our faith is strengthened, and our friend Jesus never fails us.