All I Really Need To Know I Learn From Children's Books: Tubby The Tuba, c. 1947 Short Film (BOOK 11)

 

Tubby The Tuba 1947 Film

This is Book 11 of a series entitled "All I Really Need To Know I Learn From Children's Books." [If you would like to have more of these picture books featured in the series go to the menu bar above and click PICTURE BOOK.]

T

he author of the Gospel of Mark, indeed, likes to combine incidents like a tapestry or, if you may, a symphony played by an orchestra. Today's Gospel (Mark 5:21-43) is one of those incidents. There is a great matter of significance that has been sandwiched within the two stories of Jairus's little girl and the unnamed woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. There are three points that I would like to give for the deepening of today's Sunday gospel.

First, both are stories of Jesus’ healing of two women—one a girl and the other an older woman. Only a minority of Jesus’ miracles concern women. Probably there were more but due to the male predominance within the Jewish culture some of those stories may not have been given so much significance. Although, it is unfair also to accuse the Bible of being male-dominated because Jesus’ healing love is for everyone, woman or man, gentile or Jew, slave or free. Today the two recipients of his healing love are women.

Second, there is great stress on the healing power that flows from Jesus's words. In the two healing accounts, Jesus did not do much like in the case of the woman afflicted with hemorrhages. But the healing presence of Jesus radiates wherever he goes. It flows out from him that it reached the afflicted woman just by a touch of Jesus clothes. In the case of the little girl, it was the faith of her parents that became also the channel of Jesus's healing power. Jesus said to Jairus “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” When Jesus was in the presence of the little girl, He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl and the woman have been healed because of the uplifting power of The Word but it was coupled by their faith in The Word. For the little girl, it was the faith of Jairus that served as the channel. This is a reminder to us of how much faith we are putting in The Word. The bible has a lot of quotable quotes about The Word. Here are just a few: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24). "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105). "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). St Therese of Lisieux once quipped, “A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”

Third and final point is this 1947 short film Tubby The Tuba which is a little parable to connect not only the stories of the woman and the girl but of everybody else in the Gospel ensemble. I like the version of today's miracle by Matthew (Mt 9:18-26) because of the additional data about flute players among the rowdy crowd. Every single character playing major or minor role has a story to tell and when they come together they form a symphony just like in an orchestra. Tubby The Tuba is a tale of a tuba which is considered the baby of the brass family—a big baby. It is the lowest-pitched among all brass instruments. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band. Imagine all the characters in the Gospel are musical instruments and they need words of encouragement that will not only come from the conductor but from each other too. Despite being a lowly instrument, if the tuba is not played, a soothing sonata cannot be heard or felt no matter how great the conductor is. May we allow ourselves to serve as channels of God's healing love and presence to others. Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ