Today’s Gospel recounts two miracles of Jesus—the raising of Jairus’s daughter, and the healing of the hemorrhagic woman. Jesus is on His way to Jairus’s house when a woman touches the hem of His cloak and is instantly healed. This creates a commotion and probably causes delay on Jesus’ journey. Later, Jairus’s messengers arrive with the news that his daughter has died.

Can you imagine Jairus’s anguish caused by the woman? If it were me, I would’ve blamed her for my daughter’s death. If she had not touched Jesus, He would’ve arrived in time to heal the girl. “That should’ve been my miracle.”

Have you questioned Jesus’ timing when others get blessed ahead of you? “That promotion should’ve been mine.” “How about me, Lord? You said You were going to heal me?” “Have You forgotten about me? I’m still waiting.” Healing was what Jairus asked for, but resurrection was what God intended. 

Friend, there’s no scarcity of power in God. Just because someone got blessed ahead of us doesn’t mean that they got blessed in place of us.

Veia Lim-Viñas (@veialimvinas)

reflect

Allow God to answer your plea in the timing and version you truly need. 

Lord, forgive me for the times I doubted Your timing and questioned Your ways. When others receive their blessings ahead of me, remind me that You also have a miracle intended for me. 

Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, pray for us.

Even though his son rebelled against him, David still hoped that Absalom would have a change of heart. Thus, on hearing Absolom’s death, David entered into a state of mourning. Let us never give up on one another. May we always hope for the best and trust that God’s grace will heal our broken relationships. Let us always pray and sacrifice for the sake of our salvation. 

⁹ Absalom unexpectedly came up against David’s servants. He was mounted on a mule, and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth, his hair caught fast in the tree. He hung between heaven and earth while the mule he had been riding, ran off. ¹⁰ Someone saw this and reported to Joab that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth. ¹⁴ And taking three pikes in hand, he thrust for the heart of Absalom, still hanging from the tree alive. ²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates, and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall, where he looked about and saw a man running all alone. ²⁵ The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said, “If he is alone, he has good news to report.” ³⁰ The king said, “Step aside and remain in attendance here.” So he stepped aside and remained there. ³¹ When the Cushite came in, he said, “Let my lord the king receive the good news that this day the Lord has taken your part, freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you.” ³² But the king asked the Cushite, “Is young Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you with evil intent be as that young man!” ^19:1 The king was shaken, and went up to the room over the city gate to weep. He said as he wept, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” ² Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom; ³ and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Listen, Lord, and answer me.

¹ Incline your ear, O Lord; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. ² Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God. (R) ³ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. ⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) ⁵ For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. ⁶ Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading. (R)

Gospel | Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus heals the woman with hemorrhage, He says that her faith has saved her. He first addresses the spiritual realities before turning his attention to the physical problems. We should learn to do the same. Instead of thinking of our own comfort, let us be willing to embrace the call to ensure that our spiritual lives are in good shape with the Lord. 

Gospel Acclamation

Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

²¹ 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. ²² One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet ²³ 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.” ²⁴ He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him. ²⁵ There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. ²⁸ She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” ²⁹ Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” ³¹ But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” ³⁵ 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?” ³⁶ Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” ³⁷ He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸ When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” ⁴⁰ 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. ⁴¹ He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” ⁴² The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. ⁴³ He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

Reflect

When was a time in your life you felt like a zombie, a living dead? 

How did Jesus bring you back to life?

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 CORINTHIANS 1 - 4 today.

What is the urgent thing in your life that you need God to fulfill? Is it truly a need, or is it more of a want? We often confuse fleeting desires with genuine necessities, convincing ourselves that something is absolutely essential. But in moments of clarity, we begin to see that God’s perspective is different. He knows our hearts and understands the true nature of our requests. Sometimes, what we perceive as urgent may not be as critical as what we think. What we truly need is His peace, wisdom, or a shift in perspective rather than a quick fix.

God responds to our urgent situations with compassion and timely intervention. In moments of distress, when we feel overwhelmed, His presence is often felt most powerfully. His response may not always align with our expectations, but it is always filled with love and purpose. Just as Jesus responded to Jairus’s plea for his dying daughter, God steps into our lives at our most critical moments, offering healing, peace, or guidance in ways that surpass our understanding. Yet His response often comes in His own time, asking us to trust in His plan.

God’s response also challenges us to reconsider our sense of urgency. Like Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage, we are invited to hold on to faith, even when the situation seems hopeless. His intervention isn’t just about resolving a problem—it’s about aligning us with His greater plan. Trusting in His way of answering our needs brings peace, even when the outcome doesn’t unfold as we expect. Through this, we experience His deeper work in our lives, restoring what’s broken and transforming us in ways we can’t always see. 

Fr. Paolo Asprer, SSP

reflection questions

What are your prayer requests to God at the moment? How is God answering them?

Lord, in our moments of distress, grant us the faith to rest in Your perfect timing and the grace to release our worries into Your care. Let Your boundless compassion and healing touch transform us, filling our lives with peace, and aligning us with Your divine will. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ________________________________________