Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15
Mk 5:21-43

I. As I mentioned in the welcome before Mass, our observance of Independence can
trigger within us two responses:

• it is an occasion to pause and reflect upon the many blessings and freedoms we enjoy in
  this country. We can call to mind the natural beauty of this great land, the abundant
  natural resources. We can take pride in our many achievements, the opportunities we
  can embrace, the economic and materials success which is almost at our finger tips. We
  can appreciate the many good people who have risen in our history, advancing the cause
  of human rights, ensuring freedom and human dignity. We can point to many heroic
  figures.
• the other response triggered within us can also be a reminder of so many ways in which
  we need to grow or challenges we must face:
  • as you know, immigration has become a persistent issue which tears at the fabric
    of our public discourse
  • racism has reappeared among us in many forms
  • hatred and bigotry have become more blatant and vile
  • shootings of all types become weekly, almost daily, news.
  • tensions in the world community have increased; in many ways, it seems good
    relationships are breaking down.

So there can be a kind of “heaviness” which clouds our minds and dampens our spirits.
Adds to that our own personal worries: personal illness, the illness of family, a
breaking down of our own personal and family relationships, financial problems and
so forth.

II. But the message of scripture today stands in contrast to allowing ourselves to dwell in
a mood of worry and anxiety. The message is that Jesus came into the world to lift
these kinds of heaviness: the people of Jesus’ world had their own set of national
worries and challenges: people in the first century were worried about their economy,
the state of their society, the breakdown of their civic and religious culture. And, yes,
they had their own personal concerns. Today we meet Jairus, a father who is
desperately crying out for his daughter’s good health and woman afflicted with illness
for 12 years, desperate just to reach out and touch Jesus’ garment.
Jesus recognized their need and their faith and cured each of them. He lifted the
heaviness they felt in their hearts and gave them wholeness and hope.
That same experience of a burden lifted and the restoration of hope is ours as
well, when our eyes, our perspective, our hearts are filled with hope.

III. I see that so many times in the people I minister to:

1. It often happens with people who are seriously ill, some who struggle for years with
   chronic illness, some facing terminal illness: and yet through it all, they keep up their
   spirits, there faith is undimmed, their relationship with Jesus grows even deeper. I am
   inspired and edified by these examples of Christian faith.
2. Sometimes I share in the lives of those who struggle with all sorts of personal issues: it
   might be broken relationships, betrayal, financial issues, accidents, loss of employment
   and on and on it goes, seemingly never stopping. And yet they hang in there. They
   remain faithful to Jesus and to their relationship with him. Even with all the issues they
   face, they do not give up. They keep back, time and again, looking to Jesus to lift the
   burdens they carry.
3. And sometimes I see this in people who don’t have to face any tragedy in particular:
   it just the normal ups and downs of life: the daily tasks of caring for a home, going to
   work day in and day out, raising children in our modern day world, hitting bumps in
   road once-in-awhile, but they just remind faithful. Faith is the sure foundation of their
   life: they remain steady and sure in any storm of life.
   IV. Like the people of scripture, it is their faith which is their strength, their hope – they
   always turn to the One they believe can help them – just like Jairus and the afflicted
   woman.

This reminds us God is a God of life. As we are taught in the first reading: “God
did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he
fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are
wholesome.”
God wants to break into any heaviness we may feel and lift it.

V. Our reflection upon any heaviness we may feel on this Independence Day, should
remind us we have a share in lifting it. In the second reading, St. Paul is writing to
the Corinthians, reminding them of the blessings they enjoy because of Jesus’
sacrifice and he is inviting them to share of their blessings with their fellow Christians
in Jerusalem who are struggling. Essentially he is taking up a collection and is asking
the Corinthians to share of their material blessings with the poor in Jerusalem.
That serves as an invitation to us to share of our expertise, our blessings with
those who are struggling in some way: whether it addresses the big issues of our
times or the friend or neighbor next door. In some way we are asked to join with
Jesus and bring life into the world.

The Eucharist we celebrate restores and renews our life. May it be a gift we
share with other as well.

(Fr. Dwayne Thoman)