In today’s Gospel, we hear about a young girl and a woman who both had been deprived of life. The young girl had died, and for twelve years, the hemorrhaging woman suffered from the loss of blood, which notably, is a symbol of life in the Bible.

Despite their growing desperation, both the father of this dead young girl and the suffering woman approached Jesus in faith, believing that simply His touch would be enough to heal them. It is important to note, however, that under the law of Moses, both the bleeding of this suffering woman and the body of this dead girl were considered unclean, and were not to be touched by others. Yet, the suffering woman did not let her uncleanliness keep her from Jesus, knowing that He would not become defiled by touching Him, and that doing so would heal her. After she touched His cloak,

Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” (Mt. 9:22 NABRE)

Further, when Jesus approached the corpse of the young girl,

“…he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose.” (Mt. 9:25)

This passage teaches us that Jesus makes all things new and that we must not lose hope in seemingly desperate situations, as God can turn them around. Further, we must never be tempted to think that we are too sinful to approach our Lord, or that we must hide from Him because we are “unclean.” Rather, like the suffering woman, we must always strive to get closer to Jesus and faithfully trust that He will deliver us from our pain and suffering, even if we must wait until the life to come.

Jesus is ready and willing to meet you where you are, to take your hand, and to restore you to life. Don’t hesitate to courageously take His hand and to be made new!

Endnotes

New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: World Catholic Press, 2011.