Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 / 2 Cor 8:7,9, 13-15 / Mark 5:21-43
When we say that something is unbelievable, it means that it is unlikely to be true or that it is too difficult to believe.
For example, the following can be rather unbelievable: Over a period of 200 years, three ships perished at the same location off the coast of Wales, on the same day (5th December) and all three ships had only one survivor. The three survivors all had the same name – Hugh Williams.
Call it incredible, or improbable, or impossible, or unbelievable, it all means more or less the same thing.
But recently, the word “unbelievable” had an added dimension to it.
A group of children were singing a song and it began with the word “unbelievable” and I wondered what kind of song is that, because it had some kind of Chinese tune but English words.
Until someone told me that the song had gone viral on the internet, and it had an unbelievable popularity.
So I went to check it out, and I was tickled by how cheesy it is, how lame the lyrics are, and yet how easy it is to sing that even the kids can sing it.
Well, if you haven’t heard it yet it goes something like this:
“Un-un-un-un-unbelievable, that’s what you are,
come be my coffee table and I’ll be your sofa.”
“Un-un-un-un-unbelievable, so near yet so far,
please be the metal cable to my cable car.”
You can go and listen to the rest of the song if you wish. But I have to tell you it’s so cheesy and so corny that it would be better that no one is around when you listen to it.
But it has become popular and gone viral on the internet that even the producers and the singer thought it was quite unbelievable.
The unexpected can be quite unbelievable and many a times it is a pleasant surprise.
In today’s gospel passage, we hear of two persons who were certainly surprised.
But they had to go through a desperation. Jairus was desperate for a cure for his daughter who was desperately sick, and the unnamed woman was desperate for a cure for her haemorrhage.
Jairus had to kneel at the feet of Jesus and plead earnestly with Him. The woman had to go behind Jesus through the crowd in a desperate bid to touch His cloak.
What Jairus and the woman did was certainly not that unbelievable.
In a time of desperation and not having any other options, we would go down on our knees and touch the statues or the holy pictures in order to get some divine attention and hope for divine intervention.
But what Jairus and the woman did, and what we would do in a time of desperation is certainly not unbelievable.
The key factor in all is faith. Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has restored you to health.” To Jairus He said, “Do not be afraid; only have faith.”
Yes, the key factor is faith. Because faith sees what is invisible; faith believes the unbelievable; and faith receives the impossible.
Every week, there are something like 50 to 70 Mass intentions that are offered in the petition boxes, together with Novena petitions.
And during the feast day celebrations, there were about 2,300 petition envelopes that were offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Every Mass intention that is offered must be fulfilled and the Church takes a serious view on how it is accounted for.
That is why the Mass intentions must be published so that we know that our Mass intentions are recorded and the priests will look through these intentions before Mass.
The petitions that are received in the petition boxes and those received during the feast day are read by the priests and a prayer is offered for them too, and they are placed at the side altars of Mother Mary and St. Joseph.
Whether it is the offering of Mass intentions or writing in a petition, it is an act of faith.
Because faith sees what is invisible – that Jesus will read those petitions and act on it.
Because faith believes in the unbelievable – that Jesus will feel those who reach out to touch Him. And that’s why in the gospel, Jesus turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And His disciples were bewildered and said, “You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say “Who touched me?”
Yes, faith tells us that Jesus knows and feels it when we reach out to touch Him.
And faith receives the impossible, because what is impossible for man is not impossible for God.
Surely, God’s help is only a prayer away. We only need to act on that prayer.
Jairus went down on his knees. The woman touched the clothes of Jesus.
We only need to write down our prayer in a Mass intention or a petition.
God will read it and He will act upon it. That is not unbelievable.
With faith, we will believe that God will grant only what is good for us.
But it takes a lot of faith to believe that.