For Immortality, God Created Man
February 4, 2025 - Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Mark 5:21-43
“For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his eternity.” (Wisdom 2:23)
Out of love, God created man and desired him for Himself. It is this unique love between God and human beings that makes the devil jealous. Thus, he tries all sorts of schemes to destroy that relationship of love: “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (Wisdom 2:24).
Two women created for immortality are on the threshold of death. One is losing blood—the source of life; the other, a little girl, has died before the coming of Christ. It may seem that the jealous devil has triumphed. And yet, the Good News is that faith in Jesus has undone the fruit of the devil’s envy. "Daughter, your faith has saved you" (Mark 5:34); "Don't be afraid, just have faith" (Mark 5:36). By destroying death, Jesus Christ has restored to us the gift of immortality.
Unfortunately, in the modern world, faith in immortality seems to be disappearing. Like the mourners at the house of Jairus, we laugh at the message of the Church that life does not end but changes. Jesus captures this truth by saying: "The child is not dead, but asleep" (Mark 5:39). The first Christians also viewed death in this way. St. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, uses “falling asleep” as a metaphor for death, and just as we awake from sleep, so too will all be awakened from death when Christ returns in glory (1 Thess. 4:15-17). “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” (Mark 5:41).
For twelve years, the woman with the hemorrhage suffered and spent all her property seeking a cure. What doctors could not do, a genuine act of faith achieved: “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured" (Mark 5:28). Money cannot buy life, it cannot save. It is the poverty of Christ that truly enriches us, saving us from death and giving us the grace of salvation. “Jesus Christ, though he was rich, for your sake he became poor so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
“I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me” (Ps. 30:2). With the words of this psalm, we praise God today for His great acts of mercy. We are grateful for the wonderful gifts of life, health, and immortality. "Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10).