13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING

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

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 8:7.9.13-15

GOSPEL

Mark 5:21-43

THEME: HE DESTINED US NOT FOR RETRIBUTION.

God from the Old Testament, New Testament and till now does not allow those who trust in him to suffer damnation. He said through his prophet, As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of a wicked man rather let him turn from his evil ways and live (Ezekiel 18:23).

In the first reading, it is clearly stated that death is not from God. He destined us life from the beginning of creation. His plans for us is the plan of life and not death. How do we gain this life he has planned for us? Continue Reading............

The second reading has the answer. We should help ourselves. Those who have should help those who do not have for we are one in Christ. Having here, is not that of money alone. Everyone created by God has a gift that God gave him/her on his/her creation that can help others. Some have good voices that they can use to sing. Through that they help people to pray, come out of emotional or psychological problems and many others. Some have the strength to work, some convincing mouth and many innumerable gifts God give to his people. We can use them to buy, gain and attain that life which he prepared for us. In trying to gain that life he destined us to live, there will be many challenges, how do we tackle them if them come or if we meet them and how do we know them?

The gospel has given us answers for them. The woman who had had flow of blood for twelve years had her own challenges but she conquered all of them. The first was that she should be tired by that time for the quantity of blood she had lost but that did not stop her. Second, she may be even smelling that time for her situation was getting worse each day but that did not stop her. Another is, someone who had no energy and Bible said that great crowd was there, she did not mind and made way for herself through the crowd and touched his garment. Jarius on his own had challenges. Similar to the woman is the crowd. Another was the people around him (relations, friends and neighbours) who came to him to discourage him not to further his request that there was no hope but he did not stop.

The most primary things we have to learn from these two people are. They prepared their intentions before coming. They did not mind there state in life.

Looking at the woman’s challenges, she was sick and tired because of her condition but she prepared to go and meet the Lord. We Christians, just a little headache we will miss Sunday mass for we are sick. Think of someone who has suffered flow of blood for 12 years. The second one was that she did not mind her condition and what people will say because she may be smelling that time. We should forget what people will say if they see that we have left our evil ways of life and decided to follow Jesus. No matter how we smell in sin, a touch of his garment will make us clean. The last on her side is the crowd. No matter how big and strong our hard times are, we should always break through them. Looking at Jarius own. The same with the crowd. The second, even when those we trust try to discourage us, we should continue to move ahead for in him is the answer to our troubles. Jarius a man with authority did not consider his position, he fell on the feet of Jesus. Sometimes because of our position in the society, we think that we have grown above God. Because of our dressing, we can no longer kneel down when necessary during prayers. Jarius should be an example to us.

As he did not allow the woman with flow of blood to die in her sickness and raised Jarius daughter from the dead out of their efforts, he will do the same to us if we make our own efforts. His plans for us are to live but not to die, it is only the devil that has come to kill, steal and destroy, but he has also come to give us life in full (John 10:10). THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.