31
Jan
Jan
Reflection: [Gospel for the Chinese New Year is John 1:1-12]
To touch the image of God Mark 5:21-43
For the Chinese people and for those in the South East Asia, today is the Chinese New Year of the Tiger according to the Lunar Calendar. The Lunar New Year reminds us of our culture, traditions and common origin; It is time to honour the ancestors, to give thanks for the past year and to pray for our land and its people. Let this New Year enable us to open up to God and to our brothers and sisters in love and mutual concern and service. Jesus was in the midst of the crowd. The word ‘crowd’ is used five times in this passage. Jesus was constantly among the people. While in their midst, Jesus raises the question: “Who touched me?”. Jesus not only understands the crowd, he also feels the crowd. He hears the heart beats of each one. He cares for each one who stretches out to touch him, always! A similar situation happens when the ruler of the Synagogue approaches Jesus to tell Him about his gravely ill little daughter. And He leaves everything else to attend to this one: he is accessible to the great and to the small, always! What about these two women in the gospel passage? The first one has had a blood-loss for 12 years. As per their law, flow of blood makes her impure; she cannot generate life. The second woman – the young daughter of Jairus – is of marriageable age of 12. But in her, life is interrupted, she is dead. The number twelve in these two instances is not just a coincidence. It refers to the 12 tribes – the whole Israel. These women represent Israel. Israel, although the bride of the Lord, but abandoned her husband and became impure. She cannot generate life. This woman comes across Jesus and believes in him and says to herself: ‘If I succeed, even to touch his mantle, I will be saved.” Only when she finds Christ and touches him – Israel falls into the hands of her husband – she is made pure and she is saved. The daughter of Jairus also refers to Israel. Israel, the bride of the Lord is dying. But when the Lord, her groom takes her by his hand, and raises her up, she comes alive. In the Eucharist, we have the opportunity to touch him. In the lives of all the people around us we have the opportunity to touch the image of God. To be saved, all that we need to do is to touch Him in the sacraments, in the Word of God and in the lives of people around us.