The Sunday of the woman with the haemorrhage.
That poor woman had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. Besides the physical pain, she bore alone something even harder: the moral and emotional pain of having to isolate herself from the community, because her illness was seen as a punishment from God… and so it was shameful for her to appear among people. The poor woman left no means untried to be healed; she spent all her money and everything she had, without result. Twelve years of bleeding, pain, humiliation, fatigue and separation… She was weary of going round in circles, worn out by the looks of those around her, exhausted by the whispering in gatherings, pushed away by fingers pointed at her…
She longed for a touch of life that would give her life back; for eyes that would look at her with love and renew the face of her barren land; for words that would shake the humiliating words of others and engrave in her torn book words of dignity, pride and worth… for someone to stand before her, in front of everyone, and invite her to stand before all of them and bear proud witness to life, to what had happened to her in secret through the One who comes, God with us.
“She declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.”
This woman amazes us with her humility, wounded by fear of people, and with her courage before everyone… Her hesitant humility made her come silently and secretly, with a firm will: it is enough to touch a small part of his clothing… and she will be healed. What a wonderful woman! I see in her our mothers and so many women who pray in silence or walk barefoot to a shrine, church or monastery, pleading and beating their breasts for something for themselves or for the healing of a family member. I bow before them and admire their faith and piety. We all came from the womb of this pure and intimate piety with God.
And she amazes us with her courage, standing face to face, eye to eye, before the people and declaring the truth of what had happened in secret between her and Jesus, and how she received healing.
“Daughter, go in peace, your faith has made you well.” Perhaps the word “daughter” struck her heart more strongly than “your faith has made you well”, because she had longed to hear such a word of love and tenderness…
Daughter…
O “woman with the haemorrhage”, you who were granted the Lord’s touch and received healing from him, I look at you with love and admiration: help us by your prayer to come to him like you, with your great faith, to touch even the fringe of
his cloak and be healed of the bleeding of our spiritual, emotional and physical illnesses.
Fr. Joseph Abi Aoun
