Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Bishop’s Corner - Year of Maronite Spirituality
Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Dearly beloved,
On this third Sunday of the Lent, we read the gospel of Jesus healing the haemorrhaging woman. Moved by her faith, the woman dared to touch Jesus knowing that He is able to heal her with one simple touch of the hem of his garment.
In many ways, we are like this haemorrhaging woman: as individuals, as a community, and as a church. We are bleeding and suffering because of our sins, our selfishness, our division and our mistakes. We are bleeding because we do not always live up to our role as true witnesses to Christ, to His love, His mercy and His compassion. If we seek Him with the faith of that woman, He is offering us much more than just the hem of his garment. When we accept to be “touched” by His Living Word and His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we can be transformed. We can also be healed.
Faith and healing are necessary for us now, as a Church, especially as we read the news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction and sentencing. This case has no doubt shocked many of us across Australia and all over the world. We believe that everyone should be equal under the law, and we respect the Australian legal system. As the legal process is not yet complete, we will not draw any conclusions. We pray that justice is served and that the truth is upheld.
At the forefront of our thoughts and in our prayers are the individuals who have suffered from abuse and their families. We pray for them and commit ourselves to doing everything possible to help them heal and to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.
The courage and audacity of the woman always strike me in this passage of the Bible. She was considered unclean and was ostracized from society. Yet, she did not lose hope or faith. In her example, we need to get out of our comfort zones, and come to Jesus, and allow him to heal us and make us whole again.
+ Antoine-Charbel Tarabay
Bishop’s Corner
Year of Maronite Spirituality
Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Dearly beloved,
On this third Sunday of the Lent, we read the gospel of Jesus healing the haemorrhaging woman. Moved by her faith, the woman dared to touch Jesus knowing that He is able to heal her with one simple touch of the hem of his garment.
In many ways, we are like this haemorrhaging woman: as individuals, as a community, and as a church. We are bleeding and suffering because of our sins, our selfishness, our division and our mistakes. We are bleeding because we do not always live up to our role as true witnesses to Christ, to His love, His mercy and His compassion. If we seek Him with the faith of that woman, He is offering us much more than just the hem of his garment. When we accept to be “touched” by His Living Word and His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we can be transformed. We can also be healed.
Faith and healing are necessary for us now, as a Church, especially as we read the news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction and sentencing. This case has no doubt shocked many of us across Australia and all over the world. We believe that everyone should be equal under the law, and we respect the Australian legal system. As the legal process is not yet complete, we will not draw any conclusions. We pray that justice is served and that the truth is upheld.
At the forefront of our thoughts and in our prayers are the individuals who have suffered from abuse and their families. We pray for them and commit ourselves to doing everything possible to help them heal and to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.
The courage and audacity of the woman always strike me in this passage of the Bible. She was considered unclean and was ostracized from society. Yet, she did not lose hope or faith. In her example, we need to get out of our comfort zones, and come to Jesus, and allow him to heal us and make us whole again.
+ Antoine-Charbel Tarabay
