GOSPEL THOUGHTS
*Ordinary Season: Fourteenth Week : Monday*
*Gospel : Mt 9:18-26*
*First Reading : Gn 28:10-22a*
*Responsorial Psalm : 91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab*
*The Ritual uncleanliness and the Courage of the Woman*
*1) Her Condition: A Life of Isolation and Shame*
According to Leviticus 15:25–27, a woman with a chronic flow of blood was ritually unclean:
She could not participate in temple worship.
Anything or anyone she touched became unclean.
She lived in religious and social isolation — for twelve years.
People may have avoided her, and she likely carried deep shame and spiritual pain.
Like that woman many today feel “unclean” — because of guilt, sin, abuse, sickness, or social rejection.
This woman represents all those who feel unworthy to approach God.
*2) Her Courage: Defying Barriers to Reach Jesus*
She had no right to be in a crowd.
She had no permission to touch a rabbi.
And yet, she dared — not to speak, but simply to reach out in faith.
*“If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.”* (Matthew 9:21)
Her courage was quiet but bold. She risked public humiliation or even punishment. But faith gave her strength to act.
True faith often means crossing boundaries — of fear, shame, and doubt — to seek Jesus.
*3) She Touched Him — and Jesus Was Not Defiled*
According to the law, her touch should have made Jesus unclean.
But instead of becoming defiled, Jesus makes her clean.
“Immediately her bleeding stopped…” (Mark 5:29)
“Power had gone out from Him…” (Mark 5:30)
This is the heart of the Gospel:
Our impurity does not pollute Jesus — His holiness purifies us.
Where religion saw danger, Jesus saw a soul longing for healing.
*4) Jesus Restored her dignity*
He could have let her go silently. But Jesus stopped, turned around, and asked, “Who touched me?”
He wanted a relationship, not just a miracle.
He called her “Daughter” — the only time Jesus uses this title in the Gospels.
Jesus didn’t just heal her body. He restored her dignity, identity, and status. He wanted her to know:
“You are seen. You are loved. You belong.”
*5) Her Healing Was Public, but Her Faith Was Personal*
Though she came in secret, Jesus made her healing known — not to shame her, but to affirm her.
Her personal act of faith became a public testimony of God’s power and mercy.
Jesus wanted everyone to see: Faith is not reserved for the outwardly righteous, but for the broken who believe.
By highlighting her faith, Jesus redefined worthiness — not based on law or status, but on trust in Him.
Like her, we are called not just to be healed in private, but to be witnesses in public.
*6) A Foretaste of the Cross*
The story of two miracles (Jairus’s daughter and the bleeding woman), reveals a deeper truth:
Jesus was not afraid to be touched by the “unclean” — because one day, He would take upon Himself all our uncleanness on the Cross.
There, He would become sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), so that we could become clean forever.
The woman’s courage to touch Jesus is a symbol of our invitation to draw near to the crucified Christ — no matter how unworthy we feel.
Am I ready to touch Jesus?
*Think about it*
*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*
*Fr Maxim DSouza*
*Jeppu Seminary*
*Mangalore*
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