In the gospel today, we are confronted with two persons of faith who perhaps cause us to ask ourselves where we stand in our own journey of faith.

Jairus, the synagogue official comes with great humility and trust in Jesus' power as he begs Him for help in the presence of a large crowd. This is in contrast to other religious figures like the scribes and Pharisees who look at Jesus with some measure of distrust, envy and even open antagonism. His great love and concern for his daughter propel him to seek the help of Jesus.

The woman with the haemorrhage also comes with an extraordinary amount of faith. Content to seek healing through merely touching His clothes, she is an example of faith. This is despite having been isolated through her illness not only from others through social contact because of being perceived as unclean under Jewish law, but also having been religiously isolated as she is thought to be unable to approach God in prayer due to her unclean state. For her, healing was not only something physical but also social and even spiritual so that she could rightfully regain her place as a daughter of Abraham, her father in faith.

Extreme situations warrant ordinary persons going to extraordinary lengths to experience the healing power of God! Do we also have such courage and faith in our daily life to depend on God as our saviour and source of help?