men of those who have but recently become just, relapsing sinners may be the result of such mistaken zeal. Thus Jesus instructed his Church; and whilst he seemed merely answering an ill-founded reproach, he gave to his present and future ministers these admirable lessons of mildness and of condescension. CHAPTER XII. A WOMAN HEALED OF AN ISSUE OF BLOOD.-THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RESUSCITA TED. THE BLIND SEE.-DEVILS CAST OUT. (a) "As he was speaking these things unto them nigh unto the sea, a ruler of the synagogue (1) named Jairus came up, and seeing Jesus, falleth down at his feet, adored him, beseeching him that he would come into his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying." Perhaps he thought that Jesus, who had power to cure the sick, had not that of raising the dead; and he may also have been one of those who considered the Saviour's presence necessary for a miracle. For this reason (b) "he besought him much, saying: My daughter is at the point of death; come lay thy hand upon her, that she may be safe, and may live. Jesus rising up, went with him, and followed him, with his disciples." (c) "It happened as he went that he was thronged by the multitudes. There was a certain woman there who was troubled with an ix. 19. (a) St. Matthew, ix. 18; St. Mark, v. 21, (6) St. Mark, v. 23, 24; St. Matthew, 22; St. Luke, viii. 41. (c) St. Luke, viii. 42; St. Mark, v. 25-27; St. Matthew, ix. 20, 21. (1) He who presided at the meetings of the Synagogue, which were held on Sabbath days. The place where they were held was called Synagogue, a Greek word meaning assembly. At these meetings the Holy Scripture was read, exhortations given, and psalms sung, the only exercises of religion allowed the Jews outside the Temple of Jerusalem. Some authors confidently assert that before the destruction of this great city, it had not less than four hundred and eighty of these synagogues. Every one knows that the Jews still have them in several cities of Europe where they are tolerated. issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing the better, but rather worse; this woman then, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the crowd behind him, and (a) touched the hem of his garment, for she said to herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. Forthwith the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body she was healed of the evil (2). Imme diately Jesus, knowing in himself the virtue which had proceeded from him, turning to the multitude, said: Who hath touched my garment? And all denying, Peter and they that were with him said: Master, the multitudes throng and press thee, and dost thou say, Who touched me? Jesus said: Somebody hath touched me, for I know that virtue has gone out from me. And he looked about to see her who had done this:" for he was not ignorant of her, but he thus conformed himself to our method of acting; and because he wished that the miracle which he had wrought should be known, he thus prepared the way for its manifestation, by obliging her to speak whose deposition alone could disclose and prove the fact. For (b) "the woman knowing what was done in her, seeing that she was not hid, fearing and trembling, came and fell down before his feet, and told him all the truth, and declared before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was immediately healed. (c) Jesus turning, and seeing her, said to her: Be of good heart, daughter; thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be thou whole of thy disease. And the woman was made whole from that hour," perfectly and without any relapse. As (d) "Jesus was yet speaking, there cometh one to the ruler of (a) St. Mark, v. 29, 30; St. Luke, viii. 45, (c) St. Matthew, ix. 22; St. Mark, v. 46; St. Mark, v. 32. (b) St. Mark, v. 33; St. Luke, viii. 47. 34. (d) St. Luke, viii. 49. (2) The robe worn by Jesus Christ has, therefore, wrought a miracle. Calvin, who was apprehensive, and reasonably so, that the inferences from this miracle must be favorable to relics, finds out indiscreet zeal and a dash of superstition in the action of this woman. Jesus Christ finds in it faith: he openly praises this faith; he accords to the merit of this faith a cure; and this faith, by the report of the three evangelists, is the same which made this woman say, If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. Who are we to believe in this matter? the synagogue, saying to him: Thy daughter is dead, trouble him not" uselessly. Jairus, whose faith had received a new impulse from the miracles of which he had just been a witness, did not despair for all that. (a)"Lord," said he," my daughter is even now dead; but come lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." For thus one of the evangelists makes him speak; and they are all unanimous in placing here this expression, which is different from what the other evangelists make him utter, who only make him speak of the extremity of his daughter. (b) "Jesus hearing this word, answered the father of the maid: Fear not, believe only, and she shall be safe. When he was come to the house, he suffered not any man to go in with him but Peter, and James, and John, and the father and mother of the maiden. He saw the minstrels (3) and the multitude making a tumult, weeping and wailing much; all mourned for her. Why make you this ado (saith he to them going in), and weep? (c) Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth (4). And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. He having put them all out, taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with them, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. (d) Taking her by the hand, he cried out to her: Talitha cumi, which is, being interpreted: Damsel, I say to thee arise. (e) Her spirit returned. She arose immediately, and walked. She was twelve years old. Jesus commanded that something should be given her to eat. Her parents were astonished. He charged them strictly to (a) St. Matthew, ix. 18. (6) St. Luke, viii. 50, 51; St. Matthew, ix. 23; St. Mark, v. 38. (c) St. Matthew, ix. 24; St. Luke, viii. 53; St. Mark, v. 40. (d) St. Luke, viii. 54; St. Mark, v. 41. (e) St. Luke viii. 55, 56; St. Mark, v. 42, 43; St. Matthew, ix. 26. (3) It was a custom common to both Jews and Gentiles to hire flute-players, who accompanied with mournful airs the lamentations which were made at funerals. Although we are ignorant whence the usage derived its origin, the probability is, that the Jews borrowed it from the Gentiles. If we were to conclude from thence, as some writer has done, that the flute-players in question here were Gentiles, must we not contend also that all our painters are Italians, inasmuch as painting comes from Italy? (4) A death which was to be confined, by so speedy a resurrection, to scarcely the duration of a short slumber, should be called sleep rather than death. tell no man what was done (5)." Yet "the fame hereof went abroad into all that country." (a) "As Jesus passed from thence" into the house where he dwelt, "there followed him two blind men, crying out and saying: O, son of David, have mercy on us." It was undoubtedly in order to try their faith that Jesus, who heard them, declined stopping. "When he was come to the house, the blind men," who had still kept following him, "came to him, and he saith to them: Do you believe that I can do this unto you? Yea, Lord, they say to him. Then he touched their eyes, saying: According to your faith be it done unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus strictly charged them, saying: See that no man know this. But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all that country." "When they were gone out, they brought him a dumb man possessed with a devil." An evangelist conveys to us that he was dumb by the influence of the devil himself, because the devil hindered the possessed man from speaking, thus informing us that this hindrance (a) St. Matthew, ix. 27-34. (5) There were too many witnesses of the death to give a mysterious character to the resurrection, and the secrecy imposed by Jesus Christ upon this occasion can merely apply to the mode in which he wrought the miracle. Jesus Christ exacted the like secrecy for the ensuing miracle, and in some other transactions. We may be asked what reason had he for this line of conduct, he who wrought publicly so great a number of miracles, and who, far from desiring to make a mystery of them, frequently gave orders to publish them. Out of the several reasons assigned, the only one which has some probability is, that he wished to inform his disciples, and all those to whom he should communicate the gift of miracles, to conceal them as much as in their power, and thus steal away from the applause of men. Many saints have profited from this lesson, and we know the precautions they have taken to withdraw from the eyes of the world the wonders which God operated by their means. Thus is explained why Jesus Christ wished some of his miracles to be kept secret, but not why he pursued this course in regard of such and such a miracle more than any other. Not that no reasons are advanced by those who undertake to explain every thing, but no satisfactory reason has been put forward. Let us be content to know that he had reasons highly worthy of his wisdom, deduced from the circumstances of time, place, and person. The secret was not always kept by those upon whom it was enjoined. Whatever the rigid Calvin may think, Catholic divines do not tax them with this as a crime. Gratitude, which made them speak, excused this want of submission to orders which they merely attributed to the modesty of their benefactor. |