“Your Faith has Saved You”
by Karen Theckston, Fiat Ventures
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ever since I can remember, the idea of miracles has fascinated me. I loved the mystery, the wonder and the fact that something in this world cannot be explained by Google or Siri. Even when I wasn’t very interested in my faith, the biblical miracles, saints’ miracles and even Eucharistic miracles (look those up, they’re incredible!) made me wonder – WHAT IF this is all real?
The New Testament is filled with Jesus’s works and the miracles and signs He performed while on earth. From His first, changing water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, to multiplying bread and fish, to the healing of countless people, to finally His resurrection, Jesus performed miracles to show compassion and fulfill human need but also to affirm His identity as the Son of God. In this week’s Gospel, we journey with Jesus on His way to heal a twelve-year-old girl who is at the point of death, no big deal, right?! But it’s something that happens on the way there that has become one of my favorite miracles to reflect on.
At this point, Jesus had quite the following, and many people were curious about what was going to happen next. On the way to where the little girl lived, the large crowd followed Jesus and was pressing against Him. A woman who was sick with hemorrhages for many years heard of Jesus’ works, and found Him in the crowd. She had such great faith in Him and hope in His healing power that she thought even to touch the hem of His robe might be enough to heal her. She reached out, touched His cloak, and was indeed healed. Jesus felt that power had gone out from Him, and began to look for the person who had done this. The woman approached and told Him of her act of faith. He said to her “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
This miracle gives me hope, even more than many of the others do. Here, Jesus doesn’t seek out the woman; he doesn’t lay His hands on her to drive out demons or sickness from her. He also didn’t interview her first to see if she was “worthy” of saving, or to see if she had “earned” it, but the woman seeks Jesus out and because of who Jesus is and the trust she had in Him, she was healed.
Without having Jesus in the human form in front of us multiplying pizzas at youth ministry events or laying hands on our loved ones when they’re sick, it can be hard to believe that this IS all real. But with the faith that the woman had, and because of our relationship with Jesus, we can trust that He can do just as miraculous things in our lives too. Not because of who we are, but because of who He is!
