Today’s Gospel weaves together two separate healing events. The first healing is of a woman who is bleeding. The second is of a child whom Jesus resuscitates.
In both instances healing occurs through touch. The woman with the hemorrhage, believing in his power to heal, reaches out to touch Jesus. In the case of the child, it is Jesus who reaches out with his hand to lift her up.
There are two distinct lessons for us here. On one hand, like the woman who trusts in the power of Jesus to help her, we are all encouraged to reach out to Jesus for the healing we need. We are all wounded, Fr. Henri Nouwen reminded us. We may or may not be shedding blood, but we have wounds that Jesus can heal if we but believe and go to him.
On the other hand, we are called to be healers if, like Jesus, we are willing to go to the side of others who are suffering, even someone who may seem beyond help. “Jesus has no hands but yours”, said St. Teresa of Avila, to bring his healing touch wherever there is suffering.
Speaking of our woundedness, Fr. Nouwen observed that unless we let Jesus heal us, the danger is that we can wound others with an angry touch. But if we allow the healing power of Jesus to touch our wound and heal us, we too, like Jesus, can be “wounded healers.”
– Fr. Mark Hoelsken, SJ