"Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." Mark 5:34
As a priest and Bishop, I have encountered many people who are suffering. I've celebrated many funerals and witnessed the pain of a parent losing a child, a spouse losing a loved one and in my own life, the loss of my parents and older brother. Losing a friend or loved one is never easy, but we put our faith, our trust, in God - that He is in control and is holding those loved ones close to Him.
This weekend's Gospel finds Jesus encountering two different people who are suffering. First, He encounters a temple official, Jairus, urging Jesus to bring healing to his daughter who is at the point of death. It is interesting that the writer mentions the synagogue official four times. He is not a carpenter, a fisherman or other tradesman; He's a religious leader. Jairus obviously has heard of the miraculous works of Jesus and is desperate to save his daughter, and therefore, turns to Jesus in his time of need. Ironically, it would later be synagogue officials who would persecute Jesus and call for his death. But Jesus goes to the family in their time of desperation and heals the young girl.
On His way there, a woman, suffering from years of hemorrhaging, touches His cloak with the belief that He has the power to heal her. Jesus senses this and asks who touched Him. The woman admits to doing so, and Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
Two healings through faith in Jesus. Suffering and healing can come in many forms. Suffering from physical or mental illness, emotional strain, and heartache from a loss, just to name a few. During these trying times, we pray to Jesus to bring healing and peace to our lives. But, sometimes it seems that the prayer goes unanswered. The healing and peace don't come, at least not in the way that we want or expect them. We must remember that it is the will of God that prevails, not our own. Even our Lord Jesus, God's only son, the Savior of the world, had to suffer and die. It wasn't easy.
Life is not always easy. At times we endure pain to better understand and appreciate the love, peace, joy and hope that comes from the Lord. Pray that you have the strength to keep the faith and ask Jesus to walk with you as you courageously carry your own cross in life.
Bishop Gregory Parkes
Did you know...
Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes is the fifth Bishop of St. Petersburg. Prior to his appointment to the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Parkes served as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee from 2012-2016. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orlando on June 26, 1999. Before answering the call to the priesthood, Bishop Parkes worked for several years in Tampa's banking industry.
