Thursday, June 4, 2026

Matthew 9:20-21

20 Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21 for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.”  

In a few short verses we meet yet another person whose life is broken. Nowadays such a woman would qualify for surgery, but that was not an option back then. Furthermore, a continuous flow of blood throughout the month would make her “unclean” and cut her off from regular communal life. That’s why I say it wasn’t just her body that wasn’t working; her life was broken as well. 

She, too, was desperate for healing, and like the father walking besides Jesus, she believed that Jesus could heal her and—here’s the unusual part—heal her secretly. I can understand her desire. Not everyone wants their personal medical issues paraded around on public display. She didn’t want to publicly ask Jesus. 

She was healed without even saying a word. The Holy Spirit knew what was in her heart, and the moment she had the faith to touch Jesus’ cloak, she was healed. The Holy Spirit knows our hearts, too. And sometimes the act of faith the Spirit is waiting for is for us to pick up the phone and make an appointment we have been reluctant to make. Faith, after all, is trusting that God wants the very best for us. 

– Pr. Paul

Holy Spirit, you know me inside and out and you know what I need to live more abundantly. Increase in my heart the desire to be made whole. Turn my eyes upon Jesus and seek the healing he brings. Amen.