13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

One important message that we hear in today’s Scripture Readings is that God created all things for good. Still, we cannot deny that there is evil in the world. Illness, poverty, injustice, and war are frequently in the news, but these things do not come from God. Pain, violence, and death came into the world as a result of sin – of man’s disobedience and belief in the lies of the devil.

Suffering is present in nearly everyone’s life, as it was for the woman in today’s Gospel who had been ill for many years, and for the father whose child was near death (Mark 5:21-43). Despite an abundance of pain and suffering in the lives of these persons, Jesus offered the profound grace and compassion needed to intercede for good. With the Lord, good is always ultimately victorious over evil.

When we think about the goodness that is inherent in God’s creation, and at the same time consider those who seem to have more than their share of suffering, we should be moved to compassion in the same way that Jesus was. We heard today from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15) about the need for people to share from the abundance of what they have been given in order that no one is left in want. We are all given love beyond measure from God in the gift of our faith, the grace of the Sacraments, and the guidance of the Church.

When we have been given so much, much is expected of us. This is true in the material wealth that we have, as well as our spiritual wealth. It is through us, as dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ and recipients of the Holy Spirit, that the good which God created continues to thrive in the world, and that evil is constantly challenged.

As we strive to fulfill the yearning of our hearts for love, and to live as faithful disciples of Jesus, the words of St. Paul elsewhere in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) offer us good advice and encouragement. Paul wrote that God’s grace is sufficient for us, for with it power is made perfect in weakness. He concluded by writing that when we endure insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints for love of God, our weakness is made strong.