When parishioners come up to me after Mass and ask for prayers for an upcoming medical procedure, I do two things. First, I pray with them. Second, I encourage them to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick from a priest before their medical procedure. I share with them that the Sacrament will help them prepare mentally, emotionally, and, more importantly, spiritually, not only for the procedure itself but leading up to the procedure and after it, whatever may come. God is always drawing us to Himself, especially in our time of need.
Jesus is always inviting us to come and follow him, like the “woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years,” we must have faith and find the courage to go to him. Moreover, we can learn a lot from the father about how to live the spiritual life. The father listened to Jesus as he was talking. Jesus is the Word of God and he speaks to us in Scripture, particularly the Gospels, and calls us to listen to his words spoken to us through Scripture. The father then approached Jesus and “knelt down before him.” Before the Lord of lords and the King of kings, he showed tremendous reverence. We must show the same reverence when we approach our Lord and Savior Jesus, be in when we come up for Holy Communion or in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He also patiently waited for Jesus when Christ was tending to the needs of the “woman suffering hemorrhages.” Can we live with “according to God’s will and in His timing”?
More significantly, even at his most vulnerable - his daughter was dying - “he does not stay at home complaining about his daughter’s illness, but rather he goes out and asks for help” (Pope Leo XIV, 6/25/2025). This is important for us to remember when we, or our loved ones, are facing trials and tribulations in our lives. In those moments, we must have the faith and courage to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ who saves us. The father’s faith and trust in Jesus never wavered, just listen to what he said to Jesus: “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live." How did Jesus respond to such faith and trust in him? “Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.”
Jesus healed the “woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years and said to her, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." Jesus can heal us. Jesus saves the little girl. He can save us. However, Christ desires for us to come to him with our prayers and needs because he desires to be in a relationship with us. And so, let us be like the father and the woman and turn to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with faith, courage, and trust.
