Mass for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year B

00:08 - Our celebrant today is Jesuit Fr. Russell Pollitt SJ.

00:41 - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

00:44 - [Amen. ] The grace and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

00:50 - [And with your spirit. ] We come before the Lord, knowing that we are in need of healing.

00:58 - We hear today in the Gospel of those who sought healing from Jesus.

01:03 - And so let’s bring those areas of our lives that need the Lord’s touch before him.

01:16 - Lord, have mercy. [Lord, have mercy. ] Christ, have mercy.

01:20 - [Christ, have mercy. ] Lord, have mercy.

01:23 - [Lord, have mercy. ] May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting.

01:30 - [Amen. ] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.

01:36 - We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.

01:47 - Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

02:06 - For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.

02:19 - Amen. Let us pray: O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth.

02:39 - We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

02:48 - [Amen. ] A reading from the Book of Wisdom.

03:00 - God did not make death, but he does not delight in the death of the living.

03:06 - For he created all things that they might exist, and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.

03:19 - For righteousness is immortal. For God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.

03:38 - The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God. ] I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.

03:48 - [I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. ] I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

04:01 - O Lord, you have lifted up my soul from the grave, restored me to life from those who sink into the pit.

04:09 - [I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. ] Sing psalms to the Lord, you faithful ones; give thanks to his holy name.

04:21 - His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.

04:25 - At night there are tears, but at dawn comes joy.

04:30 - [I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. ] Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; be my helper, O Lord.

04:41 - You have changed my mourning into dancing, O Lord my God, I will thank you forever.

04:48 - [I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. ] A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.

04:58 - Brethren: As you excel in everything—in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us—see that you excel in this gracious work also.

05:15 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

05:27 - I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality.

05:44 - As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. ” The word of the Lord.

05:56 - [Thanks be to God. ] [Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!] Our Saviour Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

06:25 - [Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!] The Lord be with you.

06:46 - [And with your spirit] A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.

06:51 - [Glory to you, O Lord. ] At that time: When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea.

07:04 - Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, and begged him, saying, “My little daughter is at point of death.

07:15 - Come and lay hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live. ” And he went with him.

07:24 - And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

07:26 - And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

07:41 - She had heard reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.

07:48 - For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well. ” And immediately the haemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

08:03 - And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it.

08:23 - But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.

08:34 - And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease. ” And while he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house someone who said, “Your daughter is dead.

08:51 - Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe. ” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

09:07 - When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.

09:14 - And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping. ” And they laughed at him.

09:28 - But he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went to where the child was.

09:36 - Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi”; which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise. ” And immediately the girl got up and walked (for she was twelve years old), and immediately they were overcome with amazement.

09:54 - And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

10:05 - The Gospel of the Lord. [Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ. ] Radical. Transformation. Revolution, these are all words that we often hear in the political arena.

10:27 - In fact one can become quite tired of these words.

10:32 - And yet when I looked at the Gospel for this weekend, it struck me that what we are reading there is something that is radical, something that is revolutionary and something that is transformative.

10:46 - We are so bound at times by our own context and our own times that we do not realise how radical, or revolutionary or transformational these events in the Gospels are.

11:05 - The author of that book of Wisdom looks back over the history of Israel and reflects on how God’s wisdom has been active right from the very beginning – a wisdom that is radically different to human wisdom, a wisdom that is revolutionary, a wisdom that brings about transformation.

11:29 - He affirms too, notice in that reading, that things did not just come into being but all was created by God, through God’s design.

11:43 - In that second reading, Paul encourages some kind of radical behaviour – he tells the Corinthians to imitate the other Churches by sending financial hope (financial help should I say, hope too) to the poor in Jerusalem.

12:02 - You see, radical economic transformation is not a new concept that some political party has suddenly dreamt up, it is at the heart of the early Christian community.

12:16 - He tells the Corinthians that they need to take special responsibility for the church in Jerusalem, the so-called “mother church” of the time.

12:28 - And he argues, using a briefer version of the hymn of the Philippians, that to do this would be living the example of Jesus himself, who himself was rich and emptied himself for our sake.

12:45 - A real message of responsibility, and a radical sharing and transformation.

12:52 - And then in the Gospel, Mark presents us with these two stories – we call these, or Scripture scholars call these, a Markan sandwich – both of which are remarkable stories, a story starts, another story is inserted, and then the first story ends.

13:11 - And it portrays for us a wonderful picture of the nature of God but also tells us something about how radical, and revolutionary, and transformative Jesus is.

13:26 - I want to take a look at those parables. First of all we are told that there are two women.

13:36 - And this is significant because, the society that Jesus lived in was a society that was sexist – women were not just simply second-class citizens but they were possessions of their fathers, of their husbands, their brothers, their sons.

13:54 - Girl children were not important at all, in fact who cared, it was much more prized if you had a son.

14:05 - And so women were dispensable. So asking Jesus to come and see a young woman, who is not named, who is not identified (notice: the daughter of Jairus), she’s only a somebody because of her father.

14:21 - And then having Jesus touch her is something that is radical.

14:29 - Women were not really “people” and they certainly were not afforded any rights.

14:35 - And so by doing this Jesus immediately is a radical, is a revolutionary, is doing something transformative.

14:43 - Because he affords that young, unnamed woman dignity and respect – he gives her “personhood”, and in the literal and spiritual sense gives her life.

15:01 - Perhaps it’s not obvious but still many women in our midst are treated as possessions – the rise of things like the #MeToo campaign remind us that, today, women are not treated with dignity and respect.

15:20 - The dignity and respect that is their due made in the image and likeness of God.

15:28 - And it’s easy for us in the Church so often to speak about the dignity and respect of women in society and yet inside our very own ranks, we too, notice, if we’re sharp enough, that women are often treated as second-class citizens.

15:49 - And maybe even religious women, most especially, are treated as second-class citizens.

16:00 - And so this calls forth for us, or from us, a radical response, the same way that Jesus radically responded to what he found in his own context.

16:13 - In fact, not to respond means we do not take our discipleship of Jesus seriously.

16:21 - Because it is a demand of our discipleship, it’s the transformation that the Gospel demands of us – to see others, to see women, to see our world, through transformed eyes.

16:35 - And therefore even at times to have to critique the very institutions, like the Church we belong to.

16:46 - The second thing is notice those desperate situations.

16:50 - Notice how radical Jesus is in desperate situations.

16:56 - Both of those women, Jairus’s daughter and the other unnamed woman, are in hopeless situations.

17:04 - Doctors have failed, the Gospel tells us. The mourners are ready at the house of Jairus.

17:11 - There is real sense of hopelessness in both accounts.

17:17 - And notice how Jesus transforms that hopelessness.

17:24 - Many people today live in desperate situations, they feel desperate.

17:30 - Many women today live in desperate situations, they feel hopeless.

17:36 - We know too that in our society things like suicide rates are up.

17:41 - Lots of young people feel disempowered. They live in townships, where very often there’s no water and there’s no lights because of the poor governance of this country.

17:55 - They are unemployed. The unemployment rate in this country continues to spiral up and up and up, no matter all the political rhetoric we are given about creating jobs.

18:07 - We have a government that has failed. And yet the Gospel reminds us, that there is no situation that is beyond redemption.

18:19 - There is no situation in which the power of God cannot prevail.

18:26 - But, just as Jairus goes to seek Jesus out, and just as that woman who touches Jesus’ cloak goes to seek him out, we too, are called to do something in desperate situations.

18:46 - That’s a big challenge. Jesus’ actions in the Gospel, his death and resurrection are the basis for our Christian HOPE.

18:56 - He invites us to be signs of hope, creators of hope through our words and through our actions, our lives are meant to be signs all the time of hope.

19:11 - Especially to those who feel desperate. Our faith is at times tested, and yet the power of God can prevail in any situation when people like us choose to work in partnership with God.

19:30 - When we choose to be messengers of hope, when we choose to take the same radical, and revolutionary, and transformative attitude that Jesus has.

19:42 - And so we too can slowly change the situations, the desperate situations which people find themselves in, when we choose to no longer put up with those who create those desperate situations.

20:03 - There are many things that can be better for many people in this country if we choose to no longer put up with the bad governance, the failed governance that we sit with.

20:22 - And the third and final thing is notice the healing in that story, because both accounts are stories of healing.

20:31 - So often we want “quick fixes”. And I think maybe even that woman in the Gospel was looking for a “quick fix”.

20:41 - That’s why she simply just touches the cloak of Jesus.

20:45 - And who blames her after being sick for so long that now she’s looking desperately for a quick fix.

20:51 - It would have, perhaps even, been easier for Jesus simply to offer her a quick fix.

21:03 - Yet she touches Jesus. She knows somehow that the touch of Jesus will cure her.

21:12 - And we can do nothing but admire her faith.

21:17 - But notice that healing is not just simply a physical thing.

21:22 - We are told that she is in “fear and trembling” when Jesus turns around.

21:30 - You see, so often we put so much emphasis on the physical, and she’s physically healed and yet she still suffers from fear and trembling.

21:44 - And then, we are told, Jesus sets her totally free, by healing her from her own emotional and intellectual suffering.

21:58 - Healing is a big subject, and we often talk about it in the churches.

22:05 - Many of these mega-churches or “evangelicals” or whatever you want to call it, try to make us believe that healing is something that is instant.

22:16 - And yet over and over in the Gospels we notice that is not the case.

22:22 - Notice how God works, healing is always a process in the scriptures, healing is always multi-layered in the scriptures.

22:30 - She may have physical healing, and yet still Jesus has to heal her emotionally and psychologically.

22:37 - And we need to remember that in our own lives.

22:43 - And so too when we deal with people who are desperate.

22:46 - We think that perhaps giving something physically, food or clothes or whatever it is, can help them, and indeed it does.

22:55 - But often too, we skip completely that deeper layer where people need emotional and psychological healing from what it is that they have suffered.

23:06 - And we only see this when we take a radical, or a revolutionary or a transformative view as Jesus himself has.

23:16 - Let’s pray as we celebrate the Eucharist this weekend that we would work to afford all people their God given dignity and respect.

23:27 - That we would work to eradicate anything that strips anyone of their dignity, especially that of women, and in our own context of religious women.

23:38 - Let’s pray that we would be signs of hope to those who feel desperate.

23:47 - And let’s pray that we would recognize how God calls us to be healers, not just simply offer people physical healing, but calls us, invites us to create spaces where people can find emotional and psychological healing.

24:06 - The revolutionary, and radical and transformative power of the Gospel will only take root in our hearts and help us to create the kind of world that God desires, the kind of society that God would recognize.

24:25 - The one that images the Kingdom, when we have the courage to take on that radical, that revolutionary, that transformative attitude that Jesus displays so often in the Gospels.

24:59 - Let’s now profess together our faith, as we say the Apostles Creed.

25:04 - I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

25:35 - I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

25:47 - Amen. God’s word has been spoken to us and we have reflected on that word, and now we respond by bring our needs, our prayers, before the Lord.

26:10 - For the Church: that we may reach out to all who have been excluded or marginalised by our society and offer acceptance and inclusion in our community.

26:25 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For transformation: that we may present ourselves before Christ and confidently surrender to his touch all that is sinful, selfish, or alienating in our life.

26:45 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For greater consciousness: that we may be aware of those with fragile faith or those who are struggling with confusion and choose our words and actions carefully so as not to quell the spark of faith planted in their hearts.

27:08 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For healing: that all who have been scandalized by the actions or inactions of those in authority may experience the healing and renewing touch of Jesus.

27:27 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For all who are sick: that God will reach out and touch the sick and return them to health, especially those who have suffered for a long time.

27:42 - We pray also that God will free the human family from COVID pandemic.

27:51 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For all who feel socially isolated: that those who have been ridiculed, laughed at, or bullied, may have their dignity as persons recognized and be welcomed into this faith community.

28:11 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] For all who are physically isolated: that God will guide us in reaching out to them, assisting with their needs, and sharing faith with them.

28:29 - Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us. ] Lord our God, we bring before you these our prayers, those spoken, and the unspoken prayers of our hearts, and we place them before you knowing that you hear us, through Christ Jesus, your Son, and our Risen Lord.

28:49 - [Amen. ] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have this bread to offer: fruit of the earth, work of our human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.

29:21 - [Blessed be God for ever. ] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have this wine to offer: fruit of the vine, and work of our human hands, it will become for us our spiritual drink.

29:42 - [Blessed be God for ever. ] Friends, let’s pray that our sacrifice and the sacrifice and efforts of our lives may be acceptable to God, the almighty Creator.

30:05 - [May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s holy Church. ] O God, who graciously accomplish the effects of your mysteries, grant, we pray, that the deeds by which we serve you may be worthy of these sacred gifts.

30:23 - We ask this through Christ, our Lord. [Amen] The Lord be with you.

30:34 - [And with your spirit. ] Lift up your hearts.

30:37 - [We lift them up to the Lord. ] Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

30:40 - [It is right and just. ] It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father of mercies and faithful God.

30:49 - For you have given us Jesus Christ, your Son, as our Lord and Redeemer.

30:53 - He always showed compassion for children and for the poor, for the sick and for sinners, and he became a neighbour to the oppressed and the afflicted.

31:02 - By word and deed he announced to the world that you are our Father and that you care for all your sons and daughters.

31:09 - And so, with all the Angels and Saints we exalt and bless your name and sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy [Lord God of hosts.

31:21 - Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

31:25 - Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

31:29 - Hosanna in the highest. ] You are indeed Holy and to be glorified, O God, who love the human race and who always walk with us on the journey of life.

31:38 - Blessed indeed is your Son, present in our midst when we are gathered by his love, and when, as once for the disciples, and so now for us, he opens the Scriptures and breaks the bread.

31:48 - Therefore, Father most merciful, we ask that you send forth your Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts of bread and wine, that they may become for us the Body and Blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

32:01 - On the day before he was to suffer, on the night of the Last Supper, he took bread and said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

32:30 - In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the cup, gave you thanks and gave the cup to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR ALL FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

32:50 - DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. The mystery of faith.

33:06 - When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.

33:14 - Therefore, holy Father, as we celebrate the memorial of Christ your Son, our Saviour, whom you led through his Passion and Death on the Cross to the glory of the Resurrection, and whom you have seated at your right hand, we proclaim the work of your love until he comes again and we offer you the Bread of life and the Cup of blessing.

33:32 - Look with favour on the offering of your Church, in which we show forth the paschal Sacrifice of Christ that has been handed on to us, and grant that, by the power of the Spirit of your love, we may be counted now and until the day of eternity among the members of your Son, in whose Body and Blood we have communion.

33:50 - Bring your Church, O Lord, to perfect faith and charity, together with Francis our Pope, Buti our Bishop, with all Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and the entire people you have made your own.

34:01 - Open our eyes to the needs of our brothers and sisters; inspire in us words and actions to comfort those who labour and are burdened.

34:12 - Make us serve them truly, after the example of Christ and at his command.

34:18 - And may your Church stand as a living witness to truth and to freedom, to peace and justice, that all people may be raised up to a new hope.

34:30 - Remember our brothers and sisters, who have fallen asleep in the peace of your Christ, and all the dead, whose faith you alone have known.

34:36 - Admit them to rejoice in the light of your face, and in the resurrection give them the fullness of life.

34:43 - Grant also to us, when our earthly pilgrimage is done, that we may come to an eternal dwelling place and live with you for ever; there, in communion with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the Apostles and Martyrs, and all the Saints, we shall praise and exalt you through Jesus Christ, your Son.

35:07 - Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.

35:16 - [Amen. ] Let’s pray now as the Lord Jesus taught us: Our Father, [who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

35:36 - Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ] Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, and graciously grant peace in our days.

35:53 - That by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

36:05 - [For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever. ] Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign for ever and ever.

36:24 - [Amen. ] The peace of the Lord be with you always.

36:28 - [And with your spirit. ] Let’s spend a moment praying for peace especially for those who are excluded, for many women whose dignity has been removed, whose dignity has been stripped.

36:47 - Let’s pray for peace in our country. And we pray: Lamb of God, [you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

37:15 - Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

37:21 - Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. ] Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world, how blessed are we who are called to share in the supper of the Lamb.

37:38 - [Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. ] May the Body and Blood of Christ bring us to life everlasting.

37:50 - [Amen. ] Although you cannot receive physical communion with us now, we invite you into a moment of spiritual communion.

38:07 - The great medieval theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, defined spiritual communion as: “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament”, and “a loving embrace as though we had already received him. ” His words are echoed by the great mystic, and fellow doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote: “When you do not receive Communion, and do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion which is a most beneficial practice.

38:38 - By it, the love of God will be greatly impressed on you. ” At this moment we invite you to focus on Christ, and your longing for union with him.

38:52 - Express your desire to feel his grace coursing through you, giving you strength and courage, particularly in these difficult times.

39:02 - In your desiring union you are united with us, and to Christ.

39:09 - In this moment we experience the reality that is already here.

40:44 - Let us pray. May this divine sacrifice we have offered and received fill us with life, O Lord, we pray, so that, bound to you in lasting charity, we may bear fruit that lasts for ever.

41:00 - We ask this through Christ our Lord. [Amen. ] The Lord be with you.

41:05 - [And with your spirit] May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

41:10 - [Amen. ] Go now in the peace of Christ.

41:12 - [Thanks be to God. ].