Gospel Reflections for June 27 2021: 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel for June 27 2021 – Mark 5:21-43

Gospel Reflections for June 27 2021

New beginnings…

There are several beginnings in today’s Gospel, and timely for us as we begin our fully open parish.

A woman who had been sick for 12 years comes to Jesus for help. That is an amazing testimony of her faith.

She had already seen many doctors …who only made matters worse! Moreover, sickness then was considered a sign of God’s disfavor, leading to her alienation from others and perhaps even her own family.

Life had not turned out well for her. You could understand if she became cynical and angry. Yet she is not. She courageously approaches Jesus for help and is rewarded with a miraculous cure.

Similarly, a synagogue official asks Jesus for help for his daughter, yet when Jesus arrives the girl is already dead. You could understand if the official became embittered that Jesus was too late. However, it is never too late for Our Lord, and He raises the girl from the dead!

We will celebrate the beginning of our nation next week, on July 4th.  At our founding in 1776, you could understand that people then would have given up any hope that there could ever be justice from English tyranny, or even reconciliation between slave holding and free states. 

Yet, the founders of our nation responded with our Declaration of Independence from England and our Constitution that each told a hopeful story of freedom and justice for all. That started a new beginning and trajectory of freedom that eventually ended slavery and created the most prosperous and powerful nation in world history!

Those noble ideals did not begin easily at first, and our history has had its ups and downs living up to those original ideals, including a terrible Civil War and many legal civil rights battles afterwards. However, our beginning in 1776 continued a whole series of new beginnings of more and more social justice.

This week, we also welcome the beginning parish ministry of Fr. Michael Tang, who begins his residence here at St. Bruno.  He has been saying Sunday mass here for many years but will now live here in residence while he continues as a Professor of Art at Loyola Marymount University. Welcome to St. Bruno! (along with your two Jack Russel Terriers, Maddy and Berkeley!)

What has remained constant from this Gospel to today is that new beginnings are possible, and that it is never too late to receive blessings and a new life from Our Lord.

God Bless!

Fr. Dave