By Lisa Fellabaum
In the book of Mark, chapter 5, Jesus is on his way to heal a sick girl. She was the daughter of a synagogue leader.
A large crowd was following Jesus closely. There was a woman there that had been bleeding for 12 years. She suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all she had yet continued to get worse (vs 26).
When she heard Jesus was coming, she came up behind him and touched his cloak, because she thought if I can just touch his clothes, I can be healed. Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been freed of her suffering (vs 29).
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, “who touched my clothes?”
The disciples answered,” people are crowding all around you and yet you ask, “who touched me?”
The woman knowing what had taken place, came and fell at his feet, and trembling with fear, told him the truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:24-34).
There are a lot of things that go through my mind when I read this passage.
I think of 12 years of suffering, physically. It says she had many doctors. Some of us can relate to this. Doctor after doctor. Tests and more tests. The symptoms continue. She had tried everything.
She spent all she had. I believe she must have been so desperate at this point. I think of the times, was it acceptable for a woman that was bleeding to be approaching a man in public? Was she walking up to him, or was she crawling? He was surrounded by a crowd. I imagine she did not want to be seen touching his clothing. She was taking a risk.
I imagine at some point people in the crowd pressed in and she fell behind and had to fight her way through to get closer.
After all, she wasn’t a healthy woman. She was however a woman with great faith.
Many of the people we serve at Catholic Charities are very similar to this woman. They have spent years suffering in some way. Some suffer from mental health, some addiction, some physical health. They have spent all their resources trying to change or fix it. They are facing something they cannot accomplish on their own. That is why our presence is so important. Not because we can fix or change everything, but we know the one that can. Jesus.
We can listen and offer prayers.
We can be present.
Lisa Fellabaum is the Outreach Program Director at Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
