Sunday Lectionary: Death, where is thy sting?

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 1st, 2012

There are a number of common themes found among the Reading for Mass this week. Death is the subject our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom and it is found again in our Gospel. The theme of Faith in God’s saving power is also present. In our psalm we sing “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me” and in our Gospel Reading we hear of two such individuals who reached out to Jesus in faith and were blessed.

As we come to the Eucharist this week, let us fall at the feet of Jesus, reach out with expectant faith, praying for the Lord to restore us to the fullness of life.

In times of spiritual cooling and laziness, imagine in your heart those past times when you were full of  zeal…remember your past efforts and the energy with which you opposed those who wished to obstruct your progress. These recollections will reawaken your soul from its deep sleep, will invest it anew with the fire of zeal, will raise it, as it were, from the dead and will make it engage in an ardent struggle against the devil and sin, thus returning to its former rank. -St. Isaak of Syria

 

Reading I: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

The Book of Wisdom was composed a century or two prior to the coming of Christ. It was most likely written in Alexandria, Egypt. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered at Qumran the Book of Wisdom was found there, written in the Hebrew language. This was a surprise since hitherto we only had manuscripts in Greek. This book is part of the Deuterocanon and is therefore not found in Protestant Bibles.

The book itself is divided into three parts:

1. Wisdom 1:1 – Wisdom 6:21
This part deals with the problem of good and evil. The reader is exhorted to seek wisdom and the immorality she offers.

2. Wisdom 6:22 – Wisdom 11:1
This section describes wisdom, how she is at work in the world and where it is she can be found.

3.Wisdom 11:2 – Wisdom 19:22
The book concludes with a practical historical illustration of the principles described earlier in the book.

Our passage today comes from the first part of the book:

God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.

Questions:

• What do you know about the book of Wisdom?
• What does this passage say about death? The creatures of the world? The “netherworld”?
• To whom does the author point with regards to the introduction of death?

Commentary:

God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.

It is stated very clearly that God is not the author of death and He takes no pleasure in it.

The “death” referred to here is both physical death, but more importantly, spiritual death i.e. separation from God.

For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, …

God is the author of life and the creator of a world of life.

The phrase “any domain of the netherworld on earth” refers to Sheol/Hades.

…for justice is undying…

Here the author hints at the “immortality” of justice.

For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.

We were made for eternity, made in God’s likeness:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26

But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.

The Book of Wisdom points to Satan as being the cause of death. It is interesting to note that Wisdom is the first Biblical text to explicitly identify the serpent of Genesis with the Devil:

…but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. – Genesis 3:3-4

The Book of Wisdom is also one of the few Biblical texts which refers to The Fall (The Deuterocanonical Book of Sirach also does in Sirach 25:23).

 

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

This week’s psalm is a thanksgiving psalm of the saving work of God.

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper. You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

Questions:

• What has God done?
• What is the psalmist’s response?

Commentary:

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

The Lord has saved the psalmist. His response is to praise the Lord.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

The Lord rescued the psalmist from his enemies.

The Lord saved him from death (“brought me up from the netherworld; …preserved…from…the pit”). This points towards the Resurrection of the Dead.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing.

The psalmist calls the people to also praise the Lord and give thanks. The psalmist then makes two comparisons:

1. Between the Lord’s “anger” and “good will”.  The former is brief, the other long-lasting.

2. Between tears at night and joy with day. Times of sorrow will come, but joy will come with the light.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper. You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

Finally the psalmist prayers for God’s mercy, reminding God of his past salvation and the psalmist’s response of thanksgiving.

 

Reading II: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Some important context is necessary to understand our Second Reading this week. Paul is collecting money from the different congregations (Romans 15:25-27) for the Church in Jerusalem. The Christians in Jerusalem had undergone much suffering, including both persecution and famine (Acts 11:28).

In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul had given them instructions to begin collecting money:

Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week [Sunday], each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made – 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Paul is now following up on this request and sending his disciple Titus to collect their donation. In the verses prior to our Second Reading, St. Paul has been telling the Corinthians about the Church of Macedonia (Greece) and praising that Church for their generous donation to the Jerusalem:

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints – 1 Corinthians 8:1-4

Hoping to inspire a little bit of competition, after praising the Macedonians, Paul then exhorts the Corinthians to a similar generosity:

Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written:

“Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less”

Questions:

• What is the context of this Reading?
• What does Paul wish for the Corinthians?
• Who does Paul use as an example of generous giving?
• In what way did Christ “[become poor]”? In what way have we “become rich”?
• What is the context of the Old Testament quotation at the end of this passage? Why does Paul quote it?

Commentary:

Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, …

Whereas the Church in Macedonia was poor, the Church at Corinth was richly blessed, both physically and spiritually:

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you egerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed – 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

…may you excel in this gracious act also.

Paul would like to see the Corinthians excel in the matter of charity, as well. He is giving them an opportunity to give thanks to God for His blessing and also to help their Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem by giving alms:

Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold: For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting. – Tobit 12:8-9

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:2-4

This is, in fact, the fifth precept of the Church:

The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability – Catechism of the Catholic Church #2043

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 

To inspire the Corinthians, he gives the the example of Jesus, the model for us all to follow. Paul does something very similar when writing to the Philippians when He exhorts them to unity and humble service:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Christ was infinitely rich yet “took the form of servant”. For love of humankind, Christ “made himself nothing” and obediently wen to His “death on a cross”.

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

In comparison to this, all our acts of sacrifice are service pale in comparison, yet we are called to imitate Christ so that we might share in His glory.

Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. 

Paul doesn’t want them to overextend themselves, he just wants them to use their blessing to supply what is lacking in Jerusalem.  They are to give according to their means.

The Church in Corinth was predominantly Gentile. They had received a share in the spiritual blessings of Israel, so it’s only right that the Gentile churches share their material blessings with Israel:

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. – Romans 15:27

Generous sharing of possessions was a mark of the Apostolic Church:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:44-47

We still find this radical sharing in monastic life. However, we are all called to share what we have.

As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.

This quotation comes from the book of Exodus, from when God fed the Children of Israel with manna in the desert:

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer [3lbs] for each person you have in your tent.’”

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. – Exodus 16:13-20

God daily provided the Israelites new manna each day. The old and weak collected less than the prescribed amount, but the young collected more. The excess was used to balance the deficiency.

The manna provided an opportunity for the Israelites to trust the Lord. He would provide each day and therefore there was no reason to try and hoard it.

 

 

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Had last week not been the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, we would have heard more of the context of this week’s Gospel. After calming the sea, Jesus spent time in the Gentile area around the region of Gerasa. There He healed a demoniac and then returned to the western side of the sea by Capernaum.

Now we come to this week’s Gospel. As soon as Jesus’ boat lands, He is met by a synagogue official who begs Him to come and heal his daughter. Jesus goes to his house and raises the girl from the dead.

Sandwiched in the middle of this story though is the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage (a common feature of Mark).

The two stories share similar vocabulary (“daughter”, “faith”, “fear”, “touch”) and have several parallels:

1. They both concern women and their healing at the touch of Jesus.
2. The stories focus on the subject of faith.
3. The number twelve is mentioned in both stories. This number is symbolic of Israel.

Here is the text:

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

Questions:

• What is special about Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage? How do they manage to get through the crowd?
• What are the similarities and differences between the two episodes recounted in this Gospel?
• Why was the woman afraid?
• What was the second piece of news that came to Jesus about Jairus’ daughter? What the various reactions to this news?
• How can we apply this Gospel to our lives?

Commentary:

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.

Jesus returns to the western side of the sea.

One of the synagogue officials, …

This man would not have been a priest or a rabbi, but a layman. His function would have been primarily administrative: organize the services, look after the building, lead the prayer and indicate who would teach (Luke 4:16-21).

…named Jairus, …

The name means “God enlightens”.

…came forward. 

Love for his child drives Jairus to Jesus.

Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, …

Jairus is desperate.

…saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” 

There is a disparity here between the Gospel accounts. In Mark’s Gospel the girl is sick and then dies. In Matthew (9:18) and Luke (8:42) the girl is already dead. The story is telescoped in Matthew and Luke for sake of brevity:

Matthew indeed relates that the…daughter was dead, but Mark says that she was very sick, and that afterwards…, when our Lord was about to go with him, that she was dead. The fact then, which Matthew implies, is the same, namely, that He raised her from the dead; and it is for the sake of brevity, that he says that she was dead… – Pseudo-Chrysostom

Jairus asks Jesus to “lay…hands” on his daughter, but as we later find out, that Jesus doesn’t do this. He simply takes her hand and gives a word of command.

“Those who are sick do not lay down the conditions of how they are to be cured. They only want to be made well. But this man was a ruler of the synagogue, and versed in the law. He had surely read that while God created all other things by His word, man had been created by the hand of God. He trusted therefore in God that his daughter would be recreated, and restored to life by that same hand which, he knew, had created her… He who laid hands on her to form her from nothing, once more lays hands upon her to reform her from what had perished.” – Saint John Chrysologus (post A.D. 432), On The Daughter Of The Ruler Of The Synagogue, And On The Woman Suffering From An Issue Of Blood I

Jairus asks that she “may get well and live”.  These are the same words used by Early Christians to talk about spiritual salvation.

He went off with him, …

Jesus agrees and goes with Jarius.

…and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

This detail is important for the story sandwiched within this one.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. 

We now move to the “meat” in our story sandwich.

The woman possibly had fibroid tumors. Her constant bleeding would have meant that she would have been consistently ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-30). Not only that, anything she touched would have have also become ritually unclean. This would have excluded her from the covenant life of Israel, effectively rendering her a leper.

Theophyl relates this illness allegorically to the Old and New Covenant.

It could not be cured by many physicians, that is, by the wise men of this world, and of the Law and the Prophets; but the moment that it touched the hem of Christ’s garment, that is, His flesh, it was healed, for whoever believes the Son of man to be Incarnate is he who touches the hem of His garment. – Theophyl

Man could not save himself through his own wisdom. Even the Law could not save in itself. Only Christ.

She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” 

The woman has faith in Jesus.

It was not however the hem of the garment, but her frame of mind that made her whole. – St. John Chrysostom

The fact that she wanted to touch Him showed that she knew that His holiness was greater than her “uncleanness”. I’m reminded of the point in the Mass where a small amount of water is mixed with the wine in the chalice. The wine is far greater and richer than the small quantity of water. Likewise, God’s grace and holiness is infinitely stronger than our weakness and sin.

Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” And he looked around to see who had done it. 

Contact with Jesus removed the illness.

Why did Jesus ask who touched Him? Did He not know?

Now the virtues of Christ are by His own will imparted to those men, who touch Him by faith… Jesus, knowing in himself the virtue which had gone out of him, to show that with His knowledge, and not without His being aware of it, the woman was healed. But He asked, “Who touched me?” although He knew her who touched Him, that He might bring to light the woman, by her coming forward, and proclaim her faith, and lest the virtue of His miraculous work should he consigned to oblivion. -Pseudo-Chrysostom

Observe that the object of His question was that the woman should confess the truth of her long want of faith, of her sudden belief and healing, and so herself be confirmed in faith, and afford an example to others. – St. Bede

The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. 

Why was she afraid? Was it because she was stepping into the spotlight? Was it because she knew she had just encountered someone with great power?

For the Lord wished to declare the woman, first to give His approbation to her faith, secondly to urge the chief of the synagogue to a confident hope that He could thus cure his child, and also to free the woman from fear. For the woman feared because she had stolen health  – Theophyl

…She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. 

St. Jerome draws our attention to the sequence of events:

“Note the separate stages; mark the progress. As long as she was hemorrhaging, she could not come into His presence. She was healed by faith and then came before him. She fell down at his feet. Even then she did not yet dare to look up into His face. As long as she had been cured it was enough for her to cling to His feet.

She ‘told him all the truth.’ Christ Himself is the truth. She was giving praise to the truth. She had been healed by the truth.”  – Saint Jerome (ca. A.D. 385), Homily 77

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you…”

Jesus responds to the woman with affection:

He calls her daughter because she was saved by her faith; for faith in Christ makes us His children. – St. John Chrysostom

In fact, the words He speaks are the same words are spoken to the blind beggar, Bartimaeus:

 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. – Mark 10:52

…Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

Jesus uses the language of both healing (“affliction”) and salvation (“peace”):

…He says, “Go in peace”, sending her away into that which is the final good, for God dwells in peace, that you may know, that she was not only healed in body but also from the causes of bodily pain, that is, from her sins  – Pseudo-Chrysostom

The revealing of the woman also reveals something of who Jesus is:

“Glory to you, hidden Son of God, because your healing power is proclaimed through the hidden suffering of the afflicted woman. Through this woman whom they could see, the witnesses were enabled to behold the divinity that cannot be seen. Through the Son’s own healing power his divinity became known. Through the afflicted women’s being healed her faith was made manifest. She caused him to be proclaimed, and indeed was honored with him. For truth was being proclaimed together with its heralds. If she was a witness to his divinity, he in turn was a witness to her faith. ..He saw through to her hidden faith, and gave her a visible healing.” – St. Ephrem the Syrian, 4th Century

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” 

We now return to the story of Jairus. Some people come from his house with news. They think it’s too late. Jesus might have been able to deal with sickness, but death is too big for Him! (It always reminds of what was said prior to the raising of Lazarus).

Those who were about the ruler of the synagogue, thought that Christ was one of the prophets, and for this reason they thought that they should beg of Him to come and pray over the damsel. But because she had already expired, they thought that He ought not to be asked to do so. – Theophyl

Pseudo-Jerome explains why Mark sandwiched the story of the woman with the hemorrhage  into the story of Jairus’ daughter:

Mystically, however, Jairus comes after the healing of the woman, because when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then shall Israel be saved. Jairus means either illuminating, or illuminated, that is, the Jewish people having cast off the shadow of the letter, enlightened by the Spirit and enlightening others, falling at the feet of the Word that is humbling itself before the Incarnation of Christ, prays for her daughter, for when a man lives himself, he makes others live also. – Pseudo-Jerome

He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 

Jesus takes his three closest disciples as  witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). These three are present with him at other major events such as the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2) and Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). They are also the ones to whom Christ gave new names: “rock” (Peter) and “sons of thunder” (James and John).

So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him.

The Bible often uses sleep as a euphemism for death (Matthew 27:52; John 11:11; 1 Corinthians 15:6). Describing death as “sleep” shows that it is a temporary condition and that someone “asleep” can be “woken up”.

For to men she was dead, who were unable to raise her up; but to God she was asleep, in whose purpose both the soul was living, and the flesh was resting, to raise again. Whence it became a custom amongst Christians, that the dead, who, they doubt not, will rise again, should be said to sleep. – St. Bede

But they laugh at Him, as if unable to do anything farther; and in this He convicts them of bearing witness involuntarily, that she was really dead whom He raised up, and therefore, that it would be a miracle if He raised her – Theophyl

Then he put them all out. 

Jesus kicks everyone out of the house:

For Christ in His lowliness would not do any thing for display. – Theophyl

 Because they chose rather to laugh at than to believe in this saying concerning her resurrection, they are deservedly excluded from the place, as unworthy to witness His power in raising her, and the mystery of her rising – St. Bede

He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. 

He takes her parents with Him.

Or else, to take away all display, He suffered not all to he with Him; that, however He might leave behind Him witnesses of His divine power, He chose His three chief disciples and the father and mother of the damsel, as being necessary above all. And He restores life to the damsel both by His hand, and by word of mouth. For the hand of Jesus, having a quickening power, quickens the dead body, and His voice raises her as she is lying…  – St. John Chrysostom

He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 

“Talitha Koum” (or “Talitha cumi”) is one of several Aramaic expressions spoken by Jesus which are preserved in Mark. Mark’s Gospel is said to be the preaching of Peter in Rome. Since this would have been a predominantly Gentile congregation, Mark provides a translation of these expressions (whereas Matthew often doesn’t).

St. Bede comments on the gentleness of Jesus’ words:

And we may remark, that lighter and daily errors may he cured by the remedy of a lighter penance. Wherefore the Lord raises the damsel, lying in the inner chamber with a very easy cry, saying, “Damsel, arise”; but that he who had been four days dead might quit the prison of the tomb, he groaned in spirit, He was troubled, He shed tears. In proportion, then, as the death of the soul presses the more heavily, so much the more ardently must the fervor of the penitent press forward. But this too must be observed, that a public crime requires a public reparation; wherefore Lazarus, when called from the sepulcher, was placed before the eyes of the people: but slight sins require to be washed out by a secret penance, wherefore the damsel lying in the house is raised up before few witnesses, and those are desired to tell no man. The crowd also is cast out before the damsel is raised; for if a crowd of worldly thoughts be not first cast out from the hidden parts of the heart, the soul, which lies dead within, cannot rise. Well too did she arise and walk, for the soul, raised from sin, ought not only to rise from the filth of its crimes, but also to make advances in good works, and soon it is necessary that it should be filled with heavenly bread, that at is, made partaker of the Divine Word, and of the Altar. – St. Bede

The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. 

Why does Mark mention she walked?

The Evangelist added this, to show that she was of an age to walk. By her walking she is shown to have been not only raised up but also perfectly cured. – Gloss

He gave strict orders that no one should know this…

Jesus was getting very popular. The spreading of this news would have increased His popularity and opposition. It was still early in Jesus’ ministry – it was not yet time for the Cross.

…and said that she should be given something to eat.

Like in Jesus’ resurrection accounts, eating is involved, proving that she is resurrected and not simply some kind of phantom or ghost:

“For whenever He raised anyone from the dead He ordered that food should be given him to eat, lest the resurrection should be thought a delusion.” – Saint Jerome (ca. A.D. 393), Against Jovinian, 2,17