One spring a terrible flood engulfed a rural area. It stranded one woman in her house. As the woman stood at her kitchen window, a boat appeared. As the driver said “climb aboard and save yourself”. “No thanks” said the woman, “I trust the Lord and he will save me”. The driver shook his head and drove off. The next day the flood rose to the second floor of the house. As the woman stood at a second floor window watching the water, another boat appeared. The driver said “Climb aboard and save yourself”. “No thanks” said the woman, “I trust the Lord and the Lord will save me”. The drive r shook his head and drove off.
The following day, the water rose to the roof of the house. As the woman was sitting on the roof of the house watching the water, a helicopter appeared. The Pilot called down over a loud speaker, “I will drop a rope ladder to you, climb and save yourself. “No thanks” said the woman, “I trust the Lord and he will save me”. The pilot shook his head and flew off. The next day the flood engulfed the house and the old woman drowned. When she got to heaven, she said to St. Peter, “before I go inside I want to register a complaint. I trusted the Lord would save me from the flood but he let me down”. Then St. Peter gave the woman a puzzled look and said “I don’t know what more the Lord could have done for you. He sent you two boats and one helicopter. But you did not make use of those opportunities.
The old woman should have read today’s gospel more closely. It shows two people in need of help as she was. Both people trusted God as she did. But there is one big difference between their trust and hers.
Let us see what it is. Jesus is approached by an official of the synagogue, called Jairus. His daughter is seriously ill and he wants Jesus to come and lay his hands on her “my daughter is at the point of death. Please come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live”. Jairus trusted, went to Jesus and pleaded. It was something unusual that a leader should ask this favor when much opposition was brooding around him. But Jesus, who always seeks to do good, sets out for Jairus’ house and is followed by a huge crowd of jostling people. Thus reaching out to the synagogue leader who had faith in Him, Jesus raised his twelve year old daughter back to life.
In the second story a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years went to Jesus trusting and touched the clothes of the Lord Jesus. Then she was healed of twelve years of hemorrhages, simply by touching. So both the people do more than trusting in the Lord. They go a step further. They make an attempt, they go to Jesus trusting and they were healed. They make use of the ordinary means God gave them to obtain the healing they need.
This is where the woman in the flood made their mistake. She forgot that God normally acts in our lives through ordinary means. She forgot that we must do our part and co-operate with God by using the normal and ordinary means he gives us. In other words we cannot sit idly and expect God to work some miracles for us. We must use all the ordinary means God gives us to help ourselves.
In the first reading, the author says that God is person of understanding and compassion. “God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is immortal.” Further we all know that the kind God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living. He loves them all.
In the second reading, Paul tells us Jesus becomes a model of self emptying. The Corinthians should share whatever they can spare for their poorer brothers in other churches. Interestingly, he says that in sharing with others we are not expected to give away what we genuinely need ourselves but only from our surplus. And, when I share my surplus today with someone in greater need, I myself can hope to be treated in the same way in my own hour of need. Three reading focus on the following ideas.
1. Trust the Lord and use and ordinary means to experience God in life.
2. We need to know that God loves us for he created us in his own image and likeness.
3. We are called to share our goodness and god experience with others.
God does not treat us like puppets. He treats us like partners. God gives us all the ordinary resources we need for ordinary living.
