The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity AD 2024

Ecclesiastes says: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” By the evil days and unpleasant years, he means old age, which comes like a devastating storm and causes a man to despair hopelessly when he realizes that his days are soon ended.

In fact, you don’t even have to live to an old age – some feel that most of their lives are over by the age of 17, and sometimes this can be true, because none of us know how many years our Creator will give us.

Today’s Gospel talks about a girl who died when she was barely a teenager. What a tragedy! Anyone who has experienced the death of a child knows that it is one of the most unjust things that can happen. The death of a child is also one of the most frequent reasons why people turn away from God. Not only the thought of growing old, but even more the thought of someone’s untimely death fills us with powerless rage and utter hopelessness.

In today’s Gospel, we have both before us: a child who dies suddenly, and an old woman who has been seriously ill for years. But today’s Gospel also shows us that there are no hopeless situations. God has sacrificed His only-begotten Son so that none of us should despair – neither because of old age nor because of premature death.

Jesus healed a woman who had been sick for years and raised a young girl from the dead. Thus, He shows that His saving grace is a gift for all who believe in Him and call upon Him for help. Jesus has conquered sin, death and evil, as well as despair and hopelessness. He is our true hope which is laid up for us in heaven.