Musings for 28 June

Jesus crossed again in the boat. That boat is the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ. Jesus stayed near the sea. The sea signifies fallen humanity. Jesus stays near them. He crosses them, and then crosses them again, seeking to save the lost. Nevertheless, He is also near the land, those who trust in Him. Those He has placed on solid ground, well, they praise Him:

"I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper. You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks" (Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13).

When He is with those in His Kingdom, He still stays near those who are lost. "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, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it" (Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24).

Jairus--which means "whom God enlightens"--came forward, praying for His daughter. God knows the amount of faith we have. Jesus could have spoken and healed the man's daughter; however, Jairus asked Jesus to lay His hands on her, that she may be healed. Jesus does not rebuke him, but goes off with him.

The part that floods my heart with the love of God is: The little girl does not ask to be healed; she even dies, making it impossible for her to ask anything. Jesus gives her life. Does that not encourage us to enthusiastically pray for the lost? It even encourages me to pray for those who die. One might say, well, when one dies, they face the judgment seat of Christ. I agree wholeheartedly, for that is what the Church teaches. My ray of hope is in the fact that, when one dies in time, they immediately go "outside of time," into eternity. Just perhaps--perhaps, Christ may say, "You are being prayed for;" and sends the person to purgatory for cleansing. Now, most people might disagree with me, but let me ask, "Do you know with certainty?" Until the Catholic Church says, no, that is not possible, I will hang on to the glimmer of hope. "God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living...by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it."

There are some Protestants who say that, just because Jesus healed someone or raised them from the dead does not mean that the individual was "saved," that Jesus was just showing the power of His divinity. Let me offer this question to them: Does Christ increase our faith or decrease it?

When Jesus heard the people from the synagogue official's house tell him that his daughter had died and to not "trouble the teacher any longer," He told the official to not be afraid, just have faith. When they arrived at the official's house, Jesus put everyone out except the Church, of which He is the Head. He does this in order that we place confidence in the Catholic Church, of which He is the Head, and not in ourselves.

Because of our confidence in Jesus Christ and His Church, by means of the Sacraments "[each of us] excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, [and] all earnestness." Because of the love the Catholic Church has for each of us, may we also excel in the gracious act of giving ourselves, by the grace and mercy of God. "For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less." Lord, help us to do Your will, forming us into Your image, the image of God.

--Tommy Turner