Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.

Martyrdom, like that of Maria Goretti whose memorial we celebrate today, holds a special place in the life of the Church. It became one of the defining aspects of the early Church and has been part of the on-going story of the Church throughout the ages. Most of us will never be placed in a situation where we would be asked to give up our earthly life for the sake of our faith.

Today’s gospel incorporates two healing stories, both of which are characterised by an unshakeable belief in the person of Jesus – one that of a synagogue leader (and the irony of this should not be underestimated) whose daughter has just died but who believes uncompromisingly in the power of what Jesus can do, and the other of a woman who knows that she only need touch the hem of his garment and her infirmity will be cured.

Both stories highlight the wonder and power of faith. You see, faith is not something we can just assume; it should not be quantified nor should it ever be taken for granted. Yet faith will always be tested. Whether it is in the extreme circumstances of martyrdom or in the lesser challenges we face in our day-to-day lives, you and I believe that it is the eternal power of God, through Jesus, which will sit at the heart of every decision we make.

So let us take encouragement from the words of St James: “whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3)

How will you exercise your faith in Jesus’s power to heal today?