Mark 5:21-43 (NRSV)
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?' " He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
I'd like to say that today's Gospel story is one chalk mark up for women. Women in the time of Jesus were second class citizens. In marriage women were property and really nothing more. Because of the religious laws surrounding women, a woman caught in adultery was treated quite a bit more harshly than the man was. Yet, here we see Jesus drawing very close to women. Or better yet, women are given the opportunity to draw closer to Jesus.
As we read this Gospel story we see Jesus' compassion for Jairus' daughter and the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment, knowing that if she only reached out to just his clothing that would be enough to cure her. We see women having outstanding faith, while Jesus is concerned about the wavering faith of his own disciples in Mark 4: 35 to 41. Even after the woman who touched Jesus' garment was cured and he wanted to know who had touched him, Jesus' disciples question his interest. "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, 'Who touched me?'" (Mark 5:31).
I find this story so interesting in light of the recent news that the Archdiocese of Denver has recently chosen to bar a child from a Catholic school because the child's parents are two lesbian women. In their decision to remove the child from their school they stated that:
"No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school's philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese. Homosexual couples living together as a couple are in disaccord with Catholic teaching... "Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment."
-- statements made by the Archdiocese of Denver. Archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette R. De Melo didn't return calls or e-mails inquiring whether students whose parents are divorced, non-Catholic or used fertility medication also are not allowed to attend the preschool.
In making their decision the Archdiocese has made the decision to choose who and what they accept and who and what they reject based upon outrageous bias.
The Gospel for today is an invitation to reflect on who is kept from reaching out to God? Are we such a standard driven Church that we are so presumptuous as to decide who we think should be welcomed into the presence of God and who should not? Jesus in today's reading makes it quite clear that God wants to reach out to every person who makes their way into God's presence. Who are God's followers to decide who is important to God and who is not? There is no person of faith that God does not wish to honor. Sometimes when it comes to people and their relationship with God, God's people including it's ministers, Priests and laity need to get themselves out of the way.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are just such an example of a community that wishes to reach out to God for healing, mercy and wholeness. Thank God there are many open and affirming churches that are willing to reach out to LGBT people to help. However, even there sometimes the people with the best intentions need to give LGBT people some room to find out where they belong and allow their relationship with God to take shape based on who God is to each person in each situation. Sometimes within congregations where LGBT people are welcomed and affirmed there are those well meaning people who think they should tell each LGBT person not to have a chip on their shoulder or not be so angry at things. However, most who say things like that, do so ever so innocently, yet, what they are doing in fact is getting in the way of God working with a particular person. LGBT people do not have chips on their shoulders of their own choosing. We have experienced a great deal of rejection from all the wrong people in all the wrong places. We have experienced being lied to before, and many of us are looking for places where we can heal from those experiences through our own conversations with God on our own time and in our own way. It is very important that people in welcoming and affirming churches allow their LGBT people to experience healing and wholeness through the means that are best for the individual. "The Church is not a museum for Saints, it is a hospital for sinners." (Bishop Donald Trautman of the Catholic Diocese of Erie, PA). LGBT people are sinners in need of healing, thanks in large part to the misuse of the holier than thou sinners of the religious right.
As for us LGBT people, let us not take the unfortunate situations we experience thanks to the religious right, as an excuse not to take time to get closer to the God of love who wants to heal and help us. God is the best person to help us with all the anger, hurt and shame we experience. God does not want for us to live with all of those wounds with no one to help us. God wants us to turn to God and know God's healing mercy. The Cross of Jesus Christ is not only where Jesus died for all of our sins, but where God identified with loneliness, rejection and total abandonment from everything we have known and loved. The Cross is where everything that should have gone one way, went completely in the opposite direction. One of those directions was that death was not the final word. The Resurrection of Jesus was the final response. If we embrace Jesus and his Cross, we can also rise with Christ renewed in the Holy Spirit. And in the Eucharist we can experience and share that Presence of Christ who is with us and helps us as Christ's Holy Body.
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Lent, BCP, Page 218).
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