"WHO HAS TOUCHED MY CLOTHING?"

"WHO HAS TOUCHED MY CLOTHING?"

Not infrequently the patience and kindness of Jesus is put to the test in the gospel stories. In today’s gospel Jesus already enjoys fame among the people of Israel, and it is rumored He would be the messiah, which will not be confirmed until his Resurrection.

In today's gospel (Mt 5, 21-34) two moments appear in which someone seeks Jesus to restore their health. First, he will be the head of the synagogue of that town, but he is also a father and fears for the life of his 12-year old daughter who is very sick at home. The second person who seeks health for herself is a woman who bleeds continuously, and has been bleeding for 12 years. She has tried everything to heal, but nothing has improved. Both cases coincide in expressing the number 12 as indicating the precise time in which God himself will act: already, now.

In both cases it is women who are suffering from the disease, which seems to indicate that they are among the least favored of their time and culture. But there is a very significant difference between both cases: as for the 12-year-old girl, the request for her health is made directly to Jesus; On the other hand, the woman who has been bleeding for 12 years does not dare to ask for this help directly, since her condition prevents her from directly addressing a man or touching someone, since there was a belief in impurity.

Whether for one or the other, in the end Jesus acts in favor of both for the same reason: faith. In them and in their environment, there is enough faith so that Christ can give each one not only what they ask for, but what they really need at the right time. May we also turn to Jesus in the midst of any need, and may we feel his presence, his comfort, his strength, his health, and may we have enough faith in him so that we can obtain his grace and mercy from him.

Fr. Carlos Flores, OSA