God's dream for his people

Here is the text of the homily I prepared and shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts about God's dream for his people to live forever in his presence.

In the image of eternity

The book of Wisdom, from which the First Reading is taken today, presents us with a curious image.  The writer says that God created man for incorruption … in the image of his own eternity (Wis 2:23).  Eternity is a very long time!  The thing is that if we are healthy, if we are content with life, eternity is never long enough, but if we are suffering, eternity can indeed seem to be a cruel punishment.  God’s dream for his people is the former, not the latter.  God’s dream, even from the time of creation was - and is - that we should live in his presence: strong, healthy, joyful and forever.

That’s the way it was supposed to be like in the Garden of Eden, but human nature being what it is, sin and temptation didn’t take long to enter into the picture, and let’s be honest, faced with temptation, all of us are weak.  The sin that caused Adam and Eve to be expelled from the garden (cf Gn 3:1-19) has haunted us ever since, but thankfully, God sent his son Jesus to remind us of the fact that God has always loved us, and that he still longs for the day when we will live in perfect harmony with him: strong, healthy, joyful and forever.

The gospel passage we have heard today recounts one of the occasions when Jesus was teaching the crowds about God’s dream for his people.  Great crowds had gathered around him (Mk 5:21) for they were fascinated by the tale he had to tell.  Even some of the synagogue leaders had heard about him.  Perhaps they had even witnessed some of the miracles he had worked.

There is nothing more painful for a parent than to watch his or her child suffering.  The feeling of powerlessness is debilitating.  A parent will do anything to relieve such suffering, even if it means reaching out for help to places and to people we wouldn’t normally consult.  Jairus had no doubt had a discussion or two about Jesus with other synagogue officials.  Perhaps he had heard Jesus speaking to the crowds.  Maybe he had even dared to hope that what Jesus spoke about could actually be true.   We can almost hear the desperation in his voice as he calls out for help: 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 (Mk 5:23).  How many times have such prayers been raised from our lips or from the lips of others we have known?  Remember: Jesus came to remind us about God’s dream – that we should all live in his presence: strong, healthy, joyful and forever.  Jairus was about to get a glimpse of God's dream in action.

Jesus went with Jairus, and a large crowd followed him (Mk 5:24).  Jesus is always with us along the journey of life.  At times, we might think him hidden; at times, we might ignore him, but he is always with us.  Even at moments when we receive the most tragic news, or when others might try to dissuade us from believing that Jesus truly wants to show us the way, he never gives up, and neither should we.  Do not fear, Jesus told Jairus, only believe (Mt 5:36).  The clouds of fear and doubt can sometimes feel very heavy, even oppressive, and yet, Jesus always repeats the same encouragement: do not fear, only believe.  These were the words that gave Jairus hope.  These are the same words that give us hope today.

Events such as the attacks which took place in Tunisia this week, leaving 38 tourists dead, are carried out in order to instil fear in the hearts of innocent people.  These are the actions of those who seek power for themselves, those who don't want to believe that Jesus is the one who's in charge, not us.  There have always been skeptics, like those who laughed at Jesus when he dared to say that the child was not dead but sleeping (Mt 5:39-40).  

Jesus is always close to us, always ready to show us the power of his love.  He is so generous with his love that though he is rich in mercy, yet for our sakes he became poor so that by his poverty, we might become rich (cf 2 Cor 8:9).  Only a person that has made himself poor is able to truly understand the powerlessness of a father who hears that his daughter has died.  Yet God’s dream is that we should live, and God has the power to restore life, with the utterance of just a few words: Talitha cum.  Little girl, get up! Even physical death is overcome by such simple words spoken by our God.  Such simple words, spoken with faith were enough to change the jeering laughter of the crowds into amazement that day.   Such simple words still have the power to amaze us, if we truly believe that God’s dream is for us to live in his presence: strong, healthy, joyful and forever.