13th Sunday of Ordinary Time [B]


13TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME 


We’ve gone back to the year 1998. The final episode of “Seinfeld” is airing on NBC. Elaine needs to check in on her good friend Jill. Jill’s father was facing a serious illness at last report, and it seems that Elaine has been remiss about asking for an update. She therefore pulls out her phone, but Jerry gives her a look of disapproval. As far as he is concerned, a call like this should be made from a landline. Cell phones (at least back in the 1990’s) were unreliable. The signal would come and go as you went about making your call. Furthermore, Jerry believes the use of a cell phone suggests that you are busy with other priorities. The health inquiry is something you’re squeezing in as you pursue what’s already making up your agenda.  


Subsequently, the discussion turns into a protracted debate about cell phone etiquette. From Elaine’s standpoint, making contact is what matters. Whether it’s happening by way of a landline or by way of a mobile device, at least you’re reaching out; that’s what really counts. But Jerry insists that it’s not just about contact; rather, it’s about making MEANINGFUL contact. 


In Mark chapter five we hear about the crowds pressing in on Jesus. A significant number of people are making contact with Jesus, but it’s not registering as meaningful contact. He responds, however, after a forlorn woman tugs on the hem of his tunic (5:27-34). She’s not just reaching out; she’s reaching out in faith. Jesus turns, recognizing the fact that meaningful contact has been established. This goes beyond the notion of incidental contact. 


For our part, it’s worth remembering that we come into contact with the Lord when we engage in the practice of prayer. We also come into contact with the Lord when we step forward to receive Communion. The key is to look within and ask yourself: Does it register as meaningful contact? Maybe it does, and then again maybe it does not. It all depends. What can be said about your disposition? Disposition underlies gesture in Mark chapter five. 


Meanwhile, we also need to consider the Corinthians as they absorb this message from St. Paul. It can be said that they are in the process of being formed (2nd Cor. 8:7-15). Are you allowing yourself to be formed? God wants to bless us with an eternal destiny, according to the Book of Wisdom (2:23). At least, that’s the divine objective. We frustrate that objective when we settle for “going through the motions.”  Recall the example of the woman who manages to reach out in faith. In other words, bring your disposition with you when you make contact with the Lord. The gesture becomes fortified if the Lord can detect a tangible measure of heart and a tangible measure of soul.  

 

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