Who touched me?
I am always deeply affected by the hope and healing found in the story about the woman who touches the hem of Jesus’s cloak. She has been bleeding heavily for many years and it is destroying her life. She finds herself on the outside of society due to her affliction. Yet Jesus is so kind to her, and the healing she finds through him saves her. Later, Jesus goes on to heal a little girl, saying the words “Talitha, kum.” This translates to “Little girl, I tell you, arise.”
Sometimes it is hard to be a feminist and a member of the Catholic Church. A small number of male Catholic social media influencers, particularly overseas, are almost spiteful in their views about ‘a woman’s place’, whether they be a professional athlete or some random bloke in Ohio.
In a recent interview, Pope Francis stated a resounding no to the idea of women priests or deacons. It is what it is; we should probably publish a page explaining why.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is welcoming and gentle with the woman who touches his garment. He heals her, and he calls her ‘daughter’. Women in the New Testament are not equal with men but are not quite oppressed either. It is a patriarchal world in which they live, and we can clearly see that New Testament women have a traditional role as homemakers, but they can also be financially independent, own property and businesses, and enjoy the personal freedom to follow Jesus. Not unlike the world I grew up in then. (I’m relieved it is different for my daughters.) Strong and devoted women are featured throughout Christ’s story so, for women reading the New Testament, it is easy to feel included and treasured by God.
Perhaps the Catholic women reading today’s Gospel reading can put themselves in the place of the woman and the girl in the narrative. We are all His daughters, and He tells us all to “Arise.”
Today's Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 Psalm 29 2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15 Mark 5: 21-43
Photo Credit: Mattias, Adobe Stock
Source: Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
This Sunday