Homily of Tuesday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time. 3rd February 2026. Fr. Emmanuel Aghidi CSSp.
Texts: II Sam. 18, 9-10. 14b. 24-25a. 30 – 19, 3, Gospel: Mark 5:21–43
Dear friends, today’s Gospel places us before two stories woven into one, two cries for life, two encounters with Jesus, and one powerful lesson on faith.
Jairus, a synagogue official, falls at Jesus’ feet. This is already striking. A man of status, a man used to authority, humbles himself because his daughter is dying. At the same time, a woman who has suffered twelve long years with a hemorrhage approaches Jesus from behind. She has no name, no status, no voice only faith. One pleads openly, the other reaches quietly. Yet both are heard.
This is already good news for us: there is no “correct” posture for faith. Whether your prayer is loud or silent, desperate or discreet, what matters is trust.
The woman says within herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be made well.” And immediately, she is healed. But Jesus does not allow her to disappear anonymously. He stops. He looks. He restores not only her body, but her dignity. He calls her “Daughter.” Faith does not just fix problems; it restores relationships.
Then comes the cruel interruption: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any longer?” How often life tells us that sentence! It is finished. Too late. Stop praying. But Jesus turns to Jairus and says words we must never forget: “Do not fear, only believe.”
Notice this: Jesus delays, yet He is never late. What looks like God’s silence is often God’s preparation.
At the house, there is noise, mourning, and ridicule. When Jesus says the child is asleep, they laugh at Him. Faith will always look foolish to those who have given up hope. But Jesus sends the crowd out. Not everyone can follow you into the room where miracles happen.
With a gentle touch and simple words “Talitha koum” life returns. Where Jesus enters, death does not have the final word.
Dear friends, today the Lord asks us one question:
Where has fear replaced faith in your life?
Where have you stopped praying because you think it is “too late”?
Bring it again to Jesus. Touch Him. Fall at His feet. Trust Him. For the One who healed the woman and raised the child is still passing by.
“Do not fear. Only believe” May the Lord bless His words in our hearts. Amen.
