Gospel Reading – Matthew 9: 18-26
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’ And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.
Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’
And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.
The Gospel of the Lord
The Mass intentions is for
Reflection
The scene presented to us in today’s Gospel shows us with various circles of ‘distance from’ versus ‘depth of’ religious belief. On the outermost circle are the bystanders who could only scoff at even the possibility of a miracle. The next circle might be imagined as some strangers appearing on the scene and believing that they had first to present themselves before Jesus, and to make their request in person.
But the suffering woman represents a circle even closer than this : She is content to by-pass face-to-face meeting completely. She takes for granted a totally positive response from Jesus – putting all her faith in actual contact with the cloak of the ’holy man’ which she thought would bring about her healing.
Finally, that local official takes one more step closer to full depth of belief. He is content to plead for healing for a person (his daughter) who doesn’t even happen to be present – a request for ‘long distance’ healing. And so he is held up to us as a unique model of believing.
Like the woman in today’s text I may be suffering from some malady, physical or spiritual, that has become a permanent feature of my life, keeping me back from being my true self. Like her I might feel the urge to seek healing, to touch Jesus discreetly but believing in his power to heal me. I listen to Jesus’ reply, affirming my move.
- There is no limit to the healing and renewal which Jesus can accomplish in my life. Do I have the same faith as the woman with the haemorrhages when approaching him?
- Do I believe that he can heal me in every area of my life?
