ROME, JUNE 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of a commentary by
Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Pontifical Household,
on this Sunday's Gospel passage.
* * *
Little girl, arise!
The passage of this Sunday's Gospel is made up of scenes that occur
rapidly in different places.
First of all is the scene on the lakeshore. Jesus is surrounded by a crowd
when a man falls down at his feet and begs him: "My daughter is at the point
of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and
live." Jesus leaves his half-finished address and goes to the man's home.
The second scene takes place on the road. A woman who suffered from
hemorrhage, went up behind Jesus to touch his garment and felt she is cured.
While Jesus was speaking with her, someone arrived from Jairus' house to
tell him: "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Jesus, who heard everything, said to the ruler of the synagogue: "Do not be
afraid; just have faith."
And next comes the crucial scene, in Jairus' house.
There was great confusion, people weeping and shouting, which is
understandable given the death of the adolescent which had just occurred.
"So he went in and said to them, 'Why this commotion and weeping? The
child is not dead but asleep.' ... Then he put them all out. He took along
the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the
room where the child was.
"He took the child by the hand and said to her, 'Talitha koum,' which
means, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise!'
"The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. ... He
gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be
given something to eat" (Mark 5:39-43).
The Gospel passage suggests an observation. The degree of historicity and
reliability of the Gospels is again continually discussed. We recently
witnessed the attempt to put at the same level, as if it had the same
authority, the four canonical Gospels and the apocryphal gospels of the
second and third centuries.
However, this attempt is simply absurd, and it also shows a good deal of
bad faith. The apocryphal gospels, especially those of Gnostic origin, were
written several generations later by persons who had lost all contact with
the events, and who, moreover, were not in the least interested in making
history, but in putting on Christ's lips the teachings of their own schools.
The canonical Gospels, on the contrary, were written by eyewitnesses of
the events or persons who had been in contact with eyewitnesses.
Mark, whose Gospel we are reading this year, was in close relationship
with the Apostle Peter, of whom he refers many episodes that had him as
protagonist.
This Sunday's passage gives us an example of that historical character of
the Gospels. The clear portrait of Jairus and his anguished request for
help; the episode of the woman they meet on the way to her home; the
messengers' skeptical attitude toward Jesus; Christ's tenacity; the
atmosphere of the people mourning for the dead girl; Jesus' command
mentioned in the original Aramaic language; Jesus' moving concern that the
resurrected girl be given something to eat. All makes one think of an
eyewitness' account of the event.
Now, a brief application of Sunday's Gospel to life: There is not only the
death of the body but also the death of the heart.
Death of the heart exists when one lives in anxiety, discouragement and
chronic sadness. Jesus' words "Talitha koum," Little girl, arise, are not
addressed only to dead boys and girls, but also to living boys and girls.
How sad it is to see young people . sad. And there are very many around
us. Sadness, pessimism, the desire not to live, are always bad things, but
when one sees or hears young people express them, the heart is even more
oppressed.
In this connection, Jesus also continues today to resurrect dead boys and
girls. He does so with his word, and also by sending them his disciples who,
in his name, and with his very love, repeat to today's young people that cry
of his: "Talitha koum," youth, arise! Live again!
