Last Sunday, the Gospel of Mark demonstrated the power Jesus has over nature by calming the waves of a stormy sea. Keep in mind that Mark is writing at a time when life had turned for the worse in the early Christian community. Around 64 AD, Christian persecution was prevalent and both St. Peter and St. Paul had been martyred. Mark is trying to bolster the courage and the faith of his audience. He is reminding them that the call to discipleship frequently involves suffering and yet, following Jesus is the only way to salvation through darkness and death. Today’s reading continues the theme of the miraculous power of Jesus. These readings change from the ability of Jesus to control nature to the healing power of Jesus, even to the point of raising the dead. In the healing of the hemorrhaging woman, she literally reaches out to Jesus to touch His clothes and is healed. The synagogue official begs Jesus to heal Jairus (his ill daughter) who is at the point of death. Jesus’ journey to the official’s home is delayed by the pleading and healing of the hemorrhaging woman. Thus, when he arrives at the official’s house it seems too late! Jairus has already died. This is no obstacle for the Lord but there were many non-believers in the crowd who ridiculed Jesus. He ignored them and went in to the young girl taking her hand and commanding her to “arise.” She immediately got up and all “were astounded.” We see in both events not only the healing power of Jesus, but the faith and courage required of the synagogue official and the hemorrhaging woman. The synagogue official could have easily given up when Jesus was delayed, and he learned his daughter had already died. The hemorrhaging woman could have easily been intimidated by the crowd who would have considered her “unclean” and ostracized her. But she had the faith to persist and seek out the Lord in the crowd. The question for each of us is: how much faith do we have in Jesus to heal us? Will we be persistent in our faith and trust in Jesus when times are difficult or seem hopeless? Let us always remember those words Jesus addressed to the grieving synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”