First Reading
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.

Second Reading
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also. For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.

Gospel Cycle Cycle A
Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

God controls death and life, yet God did not make death. God made us to live and to live fully. The first reading today, from the Book of Wisdom, is very clear that death comes from the Devil, from the Evil One. Death was not part of the plan for us in the beginning. As we reflect on this, we need to realize also that death is not just physical death, not even in the Scriptures. Death is about whatever should be alive in us and is not alive. When we begin to reflect on that, we see how much death is already in us, even as we live.

Think of all of the wonderful opportunities of grace that we have refused. Think of the ways in which we have not loved ourselves or God or one another. Just these two short meditations will reveal death at work within us. God did not make death! God wants us alive. How can we believe that when we are beset by death on all sides!

Our second reading today is from the Second Letter to the Corinthians speaks about the poverty of Christ. His poverty is that He, in some sense, gives up His Divinity to take on our humanity. Theologically He remains Divine, but from the human point of view, people see His humanity and are not sure what to believe about Him. This is also a sign for us. We must give up all that keeps us from loving others. We don’t like to live that way. We prefer to love others while keeping all that we already have. That is our human nature after it has fallen. Instead, Jesus Christ invites us to live His Divine Life and to learn how to choose others before ourselves. O wondrous mystery!!

The Gospel of Mark today gives us two accounts. The first is the account of the death of the daughter of the synagogue official. This account is interrupted to tell us about the women with hemorrhages for twelve years. Then we return to the daughter of the synagogue official.

Both of these accounts are about life, once more. God did not make death! God wants us to live fully. God does not want this daughter of the synagogue official to die and so restores her life. God does not want this woman with hemorrhages to have that kind of lack of life and so heals her. God did not make death!

So often when we pray and God does not respond to what we want, we abandon God and think of God as useless. This synagogue official knew enough to persevere in pray and to keep asking Jesus, even though the messengers from his house were tell him that his daughter was dead! The woman with hemorrhages knew enough to sneak up on Jesus and touch Him, believing that her life would be changed—and it was.

What about us? What do we do? Do we believe that death is from God? Do we believe that God does not care about us? Do accept the small deaths that come into our lives? Or do we live like the woman in the Gospel today and like the synagogue official? Where is our own faith commitment now?