Sometimes a touch is all we need. Working with the elderly has taught me this in a new and significant way. Most of my residents are extremely hard of hearing and I’ve learned that if I simply hold their hand, or place my hand on their back, or bend down to be able to be eye to eye with them, then they suddenly can hear me better. One squeeze of someone’s hand can instantly transmit peace. One hug can dispel sadness. One brushing a tear from an eye is compassion made known. One kiss upon the forehead speaks love beyond measure. We know that life without human touch would be incomplete.
The woman with a hemorrhage in today’s gospel would have been sentenced to absolutely no human touch for the twelve years of her affliction, as she was considered unclean. While we don’t really have these same kinds of rules today, we do have afflictions that render us “unworthy” of feeling loved, or wanted, or cherished, or seen. Again, things like shame and past failures can internally convey “unclean!” in our very being. We can sentence our own selves to a life of separation, self-loathing, and unworthiness. After twelve years of incompleteness and invisibility, this woman needed relief from her agony. Desperation gives us a certain fearlessness doesn’t it? What have I got to lose because I’ve already lost it all? All she knew is that this man named Jesus was special and there was something about his presence that compelled her to reach out. She knew that she knew that she knew she needed to just touch the hem of his garment and she’d be healed. Of course she never anticipated being found out, as the crowd would surely keep her hidden. Raise your hand if you have ever tried hiding from God even when you are desperately reaching out to Him. Jesus demonstrates how God responds to our pleas by stopping immediately and finding her in her hiddenness. “Who touched me?” I feel you and now I want to see you. God wants a face-to-face encounter with us so that we can know that just allowing His presence into our lives is all we need for healing. The woman could not not respond to Jesus. Sometimes God breaks into our world in ways that we simply cannot deny and we must engage even and especially when we are desperate. She made herself known to him with the very real and impending possibility that she could be stoned to death for such a blatant breach of the law. She risked it all to be in his presence and to let him heal her. Jesus knew the risk she had taken. Jesus knew the cost. Jesus knew that her shame was her real affliction. Jesus knew that it was she that just needed to be touched. Jesus knew that she was completely convicted that his mercy would save her. This woman’s faith not only stopped Jesus in his tracks, but it propelled him onward to the next miracle, which was raising a little girl from the dead! Our faith can release more of Jesus into the world, more healing, more authority, and more mercy. Jesus was touched by her faith and he is touched by our faith when we reach for him. He wants to see us so that he can tell us, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” This is his favorite thing to do…save.
The woman with a hemorrhage has had a special place in my heart for years, but has recently resurfaced in a significant way. She approached Jesus with a confidence that only comes from desperation and this tenacity has inspired me to reach for Jesus with even more fervor and resolve. I know that I need to touch him and I can only touch him if I am in his presence. So I seek his presence constantly and guess what, he stops in his tracks every single time I do. He wants me to be free of my affliction and to know that I am saved. He wants this for all of us. Whatever our hemorrhage, whatever our affliction, whatever the source of our pain, shame, or hiding, Jesus wants us to bring it into his presence so that we can be seen and in our being seen, we will be set free. It is well with my soul.
Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 324
Reading 1 HEB 12:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
Responsorial Psalm PS 22:26B-27, 28 AND 30, 31-32
R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
Alleluia MT 8:17
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MK 5:21-43
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.
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 him,
"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.
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.
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 him,
"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.
Beautifully written, thank you Jen. I absolutely love this gospel, and I love how you’ve brought to light the teaching out with abandon, in our shame and brokenness. Isn’t that the truth?!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece today, “Our faith can release more of Jesus into the world, more healing, more authority, and more mercy.”
Beautiful words to hold onto today. Thank you! Hope you have a blessed day.