REFLECTION FOR TODAY
July 5, 2021
By Fr. Andrew Ibegbulem, OSA
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. Matt. 9:20-21
Do you ever find yourself thinking that miracles don’t really happen today? Our gospel reference today recounts the powerful miracle of healing of hemorrhage in a woman who believed that if she touches the cloak of Jesus, she would be made well. What a tremendous amount of faith this woman had! She had suffered for many years and continued to suffer with her hemorrhages. How did she know that touching Jesus’ cloak would cure her? The only answer to that is faith.
Faith is not just wishful thinking or hoping. Faith is a certain knowledge, given by a special grace and revelation from God, by which a person freely assents to belief. God spoke to her heart, she listened, she responded, and she was cured.
The original work used to describe this miracle of healing was the Greek word “sozo” which can mean both “to heal” and “to save” or “to deliver”. The word “sozo” was used to point out the fact this miracle is beyond the physical aspect of the miracle to show the deeper work that had taken place. Not only did Jesus heal the woman of the effects of sin, he also healed her of her sin itself, bringing her into a deeper relationship with God. She who was once considered an outcast and unclean was welcomed by Jesus and restored to her original dignity.
The humility with which this woman approached Jesus was profound. She didn’t want to speak or trouble Jesus, instead, she presented her need to Jesus through her gift of faith, interiorly and silently, and the grace of God was given her because God sees the heart and responds to such humble and sincere faith.
Imagine if every Christian had this depth of faith in our Lord. Imagine if all of us knew, with the deepest conviction of certitude, that God would take care of every need we have. And imagine if we turned to our Lord with this deep conviction of certitude every day with every need. If we could do that, then our Lord would be able to continually care for us in every way.
One key component to this woman’s healing is that it was God the Father who spoke to her and invited her to touch the cloak of His Son Jesus. And it was Jesus who sensed the healing she received, since He was in perfect union with the will of His Father. Therefore, touching Jesus’ cloak was not simply a magical act by which whatever this woman wanted would be granted to her. Instead, it was a response to the interior invitation she was given by God. She listened to the voice of God speaking to her heart.
Reflect, today, upon the gentle Voice of God as He speaks to you in the depths of your heart. Do you hear Him? What is He inviting you to do? What healing does He want to bestow? As you ponder God’s Voice, try to respond only to Him. Set aside all of your own preferences and ideas of what God should do and seek only what He is speaking to you. Say “Yes” to Him, do so with certitude and conviction, and trust that whatever He speaks to you, if you have faith in what He says, He will do it.
Lord, You speak to me day and night, calling me to the healing I need. Help me to hear Your Voice and to respond to You in faith. May my faith and confidence in You grow strong and become the source of Your glorious action in my life. Jesus, I do trust in You.