Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 30, 2024
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.
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 him,
“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.
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Mark provides us with two stunning stories today of the power and mercy of Jesus. He healed a woman who merely touched Christ’s garment and then raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead.
Have you ever experienced the joy of having absolute trust and reliance upon God or another human? Have you ever felt hopeful for the first time in years, like the hemorrhaging woman? Or have you sometimes been skeptical and wondering where God is in your life, lacking faith and trust like the young girl’s family and friends who ridiculed Jesus?
I have been fortunate to have people in my life who have encouraged me, mentored me, loved me, and had faith in me. I grew up in a small steel mill town in Ohio and was privileged to see my four immigrant Italian grandparents every day until I left for the University of Notre Dame.
While they fed me some version of pasta every single day, I realize now that they offered nourishment and a “cloak” to protect and heal me with their loving touch. Their faith in God and devotion to their favorite patron saints, Anthony and Margaret, set an example for all of their grandchildren.
It has been the most incredible honor of my life to now be the doting Papa to my five grandchildren. May they never be afraid and just have faith. And may each of us grow in faith, hope, love, and the grace of Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Christ the healer, you returned Jairus’ daughter to wholeness, as she lay on the brink of death. You healed the hemorrhaging woman when all the doctors had failed. We pray today for the healing that only you can give—the healing of our souls, the very center of our being, which is totally dependent on you. Open us to your healing presence in our lives. Amen.
Saint of the Day

Though she had entered the convent, St. Hyacinth had no intention of living as a nun. The story of her conversion is a lesson in prayer and grace.
She was born in 1585 in Italy to a family of Italian nobles. She was a troublesome child, frivolous and overly superficial, so her parents placed her in a Franciscan monastery for her education.
She had her heart set on marriage with an Italian noble, but was passed over for a younger sister, and she became severely depressed. She decided to join the community at the monastery, and took on the name Sister Hyacintha. Secretly, she did this only to hide her disappointment, not to enter into the life of prayer and sacrifice of the nuns there.
She remained there as a nun for ten years, but had no real enthusiasm for life as a nun. In fact, she refused the fasting and mortifications that others in her community committed to, and even used her personal wealth to bring comforts and luxuries to her room. She kept a kitchen in her room so she could prepare her own meals and wore a habit of the finest material. She received visitors and came and went as she pleased.
Still, while she remained ambiguous about her vows, she was faithful to a regular life of personal prayer. Finally, she was touched by God’s grace and inspired to give herself to the life that she had found herself in.
One day, she fell very sick, and her confessor brought Communion to her in her room. When he discovered the way she was living, he earnestly encouraged her to live more humbly.
She took his advice seriously and made a public confession of her faults to the other nuns. She discarded her luxurious garments and wore an old habit and went about barefoot. She frequently fasted, volunteered for the most menial tasks in the convent, and replaced her bed with bare boards. Her spirituality and devotion began to focus on Mary, the sufferings of Christ, and the Eucharist.
By her example, she became an inspiration to sisters in her community and an excellent mentor for young novices. She soon became known for the gifts of prophecy and for working miracles. Her prayer life was set aflame and she was consumed with love of God. During an epidemic in the area, she heroically cared for the sick, and she established organizations that helped the poor, the aged who were too sick to beg, and the imprisoned.
When she died in 1640, great crowds gathered for her funeral. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Hyacinth, you were the nun who lived a secret life of luxury until you were touched by God’s grace, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Hyacinth is in the public domain. Last accessed November 22, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.