"If I but touch his clothes..."

This week's teaching is brought to us by Sharon:

Leviticus 15:25-30 instructs, “When a woman is afflicted with a flow of blood for several days outside her menstrual period, or when her flow continues beyond the ordinary period, as long as she suffers this unclean flow she shall be unclean, just as during her menstrual period.  Any bed on which she lies during such a flow becomes unclean, as it would during her menstruation, and any article of furniture on which she sits becomes unclean just as during her menstruation.  Anyone who touches them becomes unclean; he shall wash his garments, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.”

 And in v.31 the Lord declares, “You shall warn the Israelites of their uncleanness, lest by defiling my Dwelling, which is in their midst, their uncleanness be the cause of their death.”

(Men were not excluded from these mandates.  If a man had any genital discharge, chronic or not, apart from intercourse, he was likewise unclean.)

Unclean did not imply sinfulness.  Both blood and semen are life fluids and in Jewish belief, the life of any creature was in its blood.  Loss of these life fluids, then, suggested death – which was incompatible with the Living God.  Thus loss of these fluids rendered one ceremonially unclean.

 So, these prescripts were given by God so that his people could render “pure” ceremonial worship to him.  They were also given to protect His people from the spread of disease. 

Now let’s read the Gospel of Mark 5:25-34:

 There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.  She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.  Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.  She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.  She said, “If I but touch his cloak I shall be cured.”  Immediately her flow of blood dried up.  She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.  Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”  But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”  And he looked around to see who had done it.  The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling.  She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.  He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.

First of all, in some versions we read that the woman had “hemorrhages” and in others we read “issue of blood.”  The flow may have varied, leaving the woman at times inconvenienced, at others very weak – but for 12 years unquestionably unclean.   

Perhaps the woman was mid-life, having already borne children; perhaps she was a widow – or not.  Perhaps she was a married woman who had watched her prime child-bearing years pass by barren, consumed with a condition over which she had no control, and that had left her physically, financially and emotionally depleted; unable to worship with her community or have relations with her husband - her uncleanness actually gave him the legal right to divorce her.  She couldn’t even touch her own children, if she had any.  She couldn’t accidentally touch other women or children, as they gathered around each week to do laundry, trade child-rearing advice, etc.  She was, for all intents and purposes, cut off from life, for the Levitical prescripts still governed the life of the Jewish people of Jesus’ time.

So what do you think this woman must have thought at first hearing of Jesus?  And as reports of this great Healer continued, did she begin to form a plan?  She was desperate.  She had tried everything. 

“If I but touch His clothes, I shall be cured.”  Mark 5:28

This quote tells us two things.  One, she didn’t want to make Him unclean, as would have been the result, because she would be chastised and publicly cast away.  So if she just barely touched it, in the anonymity of the crowd, maybe no one would notice.  But this statement also exposes a faith that was willing to risk everything; a faith that believed a mere touch could change her life.

“If I but touch His clothes……….”

St. Mark tells us, “Immediately her flow of blood dried up.  She felt in her body that she was free of her affliction.”

In thinking about this whole scenario, I believe Jesus knew her before she even reached out to touch him.  And basically he said to her, “I take your uncleanness upon myself, and render you spotless in return.  And because of your faith, you are a daughter to God.”  It is the only time in Scripture that Jesus uses “daughter,” a term of endearment, of belonging, to one who had been cast out.  Can you imagine her joy?!

In Ezekiel 16:9-13 the words of the Lord tell how He found Israel, a people who were nothing, and adopted them as His own.  He says,  “Then I bathed you in water, washed away your blood and anointed you with oil.  I clothed you with an embroidered gown, put sandals on your feet; I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear……you were adorned with gold and silver……..you were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.”

And Jesus says that to us as well.  At our baptism, we became daughters of the Living God, adorned with purity, grafted into the family tree.  And then we grew into children, teenagers, adults…….faced with all the difficulties and temptations the enemy and the world can throw at us.

I remember, and have spoken of it at length in another talk, the crisis I went through in my own life a number of years ago.  My own sin, along with a great deal of stress, brought me to a point of utter brokenness.  I had been away from the Church for eight years, though not un-churched (we attended a Baptist church).  But I had walked away from the fullness of Truth.  Out from under its shelter, and a little confused, I made some decisions that I don’t believe I would have made otherwise.  In a protracted period of anxiety and depression (which tends to run in my family), I would drag myself out of bed in the mornings – only to care for my four children – and throw myself in a heap on the bathroom floor, with my arms around a cross I could not see, and beg Jesus to fill me with himself – which is about the same as thinking, “If I can only touch his cloak………”

At least, like this woman, I knew the only thing that could possibly save me.  And I trusted that somehow, some way, at some point He would speak to me, touch me, lead me in the way I should go, and He did, though all I could see in the moment was darkness.

Have you ever been that desperate?  Because of a relationship that cannot be healed; or grief over the loss of one dearly loved; or the irreversible effects of your own sin; a tragedy that has been visited upon you; or a relentless illness…….all of these things can render us desperate and broken, unsure of this God we worship and doubting His goodness.

We need to understand that while devastating things can happen to us as the natural consequences of our own sin or someone else’s; while we become ill with terrible diseases and great suffering since all of creation is fallen, God never “gives” those things to us.  He does NOT punish us; but neither will He violate our free will.  Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”  God would not punish us only to turn around and heal us.  He would be contradicting himself, making a perverted showing of His power.  That is not the God we serve!  He came that we might have LIFE!  About satan, on the other hand, He says in the same verse, “the thief comes only to steal, slaughter (kill) and destroy.”  And in John 8:44, “…..he is a liar and the father of lies. 

We must be clear in our knowledge of God’s character and our image of Him, especially when it comes to the difficulties we will inevitably encounter in life.  God is love.  1John 4:8 and 4:16 tell us this.  

So Jesus comes that we might have life.  He gave back to this dear Jewish woman her life, yet it was a new life.  It was blood-free; no more “death.”  And we can imagine that her life took on a whole new purpose, because if this Man could heal her of this terrible condition, well, He could do anything.  Though the Gospels give us no other information about her, I believe she became a disciple of Jesus that day, witnessing to her friends and family of the God who loves and saves.

Now what about us?  The Lord indeed heals many of our difficulties, through many different means.  Liliana Leal can totally relate to this bleeding woman, as she actually had a similar condition for 2 years.  And, though not cast off from life, she was desperate, as in her own words she says, “I felt like I was going to bleed to death, and finally told the doctor that he had to do something else, because nothing he’d tried so far had worked.”  She had a hysterectomy and that took care of it.  And you can imagine her relief!

The Lord used her doctor to heal her, as he does so much in our time.  But what if she had said, “I don’t need him.  My body will take care of itself.”  That sounds a little ridiculous doesn’t it?!  And yet we say that to the Lord all the time when it comes to our relationships, or our “bad habits.”  Our pride and unforgiveness prevent much healing and peace, blocking God’s grace in our lives.  We say things such as, “I didn’t create this mess,” or “Well, he started this by doing such and such.”  Or about our little habits, we’re so good at deceiving ourselves, “It’s just little thing.  I can stop at any time,” whether it’s anything from spending too much to gossiping.

Like the bleeding woman, we must humble ourselves (she told Jesus the whole truth) and admit that without our Lord’s help, we are powerless to heal the desperate situations in our lives.  This is our hope, for as Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives strength to the fainting (or powerless); and40:31 tells us, “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

What about those seemingly hopeless situations?  Yes, there are situations that may never change; there are illnesses that will only be eradicated in heaven.  That is the world we live in.  It is still our choice to trust the God of life and love.  And I have found that He alone can fill our hearts with peace and even hope, the hope that doesn’t give up on this life, but instead trusts God’s wisdom now, and lives with the expectation of the life to come.   When we choose Him, His love and joy permeate every part of our being, regardless of circumstances.

Many of you know this already, and are a light to all of us here.  But if you struggle to trust our Lord, tell Him the truth, tell Him everything that is in your heart and ask Him to heal it.  He will not disappoint you.  And find others with whom you can grow in your faith.  There wasn’t anything this bleeding woman could do about her situation.  She couldn’t even be in fellowship with others.  Only Christ in the flesh could help her.  We have Him present among us in each other, and in the Bread of Life, His body, the Eucharist, that He entrusted to His Church, for our nourishment and healing.  Embrace it with great joy.  And live expectantly, taking full advantage of the Sacraments to aid you in your journey.  Be a light and a witness to the power of the Healer, Jesus Christ, who says to you, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

The Joy of Elizabeth and Anna

“The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew” - Pope Francis, "The Joy of the Gospel"

I think it’s so fitting that we ended last semester right before Christmas, ending our study of the OT.  Then Christ comes to us as an infant at Christmas, and now we must see how His Coming has effected these women of the New Testament.

After the New Year, we have started things back up here at Most Precious Blood and it has me filled with so much joy. I love meeting new people, seeing old faces and greeting everyone in the joy of the Lord.

In his most recent document, our Papa Francis starts off his writing with pointing out all the many times that the New Testament invites us to rejoice.  We start off with the Angel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation.  “Rejoice!”

Then he points out the joy of a pregnant Elizabeth experienced as she encountered Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb.  Her infant leaped in her womb!  And this is where we begin today…

We find the story of Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke.  Luke seems to have many details about Jesus’ early life in his gospel that the others do not, so many speculate that Mary was one of his sources.
Luke also seems to appreciate the value of women in the life of the early church.

Elizabeth is a descendant of Aaron, who was of the Levite tribe of Israel, which is the priestly tribe.  Her husband, Zechariah, is now a priest at the Jewish Temple. 

We first meet Elizabeth when she is introduced as the wife of Zechariah.  Then Luke tells us that “both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.”  Luke 1:6

So Luke is pointing out the quality of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s character.  They were “blameless”, meaning they followed God very closely and made upright choices in their life.

We also hear from Luke that Elizabeth is barren; childless.  Do you remember Rachel, who was also childless for quite a bit of time?  Rachel allowed the suffering of infertility to harden her heart toward God and toward the people closest in her life.  But Luke makes no mention of Elizabeth’s sorrow at her childlessness. 

We know that in the Jewish culture, to be childless was shameful.  An infertile woman was deemed almost as a second rate citizen.  I can only imagine the suffering Elizabeth endured in her heart, yet Luke makes a point to let us know that she was still “blameless” before God, meaning, her faith was so strong that she didn’t let the suffering in her life rob her of a healthy relationship with her God. 

Luke also makes a point to let us know that Elizabeth and Zechariah are physically unable to conceive children.  Elizabeth had already been through menopause. 

Her husband was chosen by lot to perform the priestly duty of offering the daily sacrifice.  This required that the priest enter the altar right outside the Holy of Holies in the Temple.  In the Holy of Holies, the Jews believed was the presence of God himself, as the Arc of the Covenant dwelled there (but at this point it is speculated it was probably stolen and lost, but the Jews still regarded the area of the Temple as Most Holy). 

It is estimated that there were probably 8000 priests, so the chances of a priest being chosen to actually offer sacrifice was slim, and now Zechariah is chosen.

ONLY the priest was allowed in the Altar area every day.  There was a court right outside that Jewish men could enter, then a court behind that the Jewish women could enter, then the Court of the Gentiles. 

While Zechariah was performing his duties an Angel appeared to him and announced that he and Elizabeth would conceive and name their son John.  He questions the Angel and is made mute because of his unbelief. 

And it does come to pass that they conceive.  Can you imagine Elizabeth’s joy?!  And can you imagine her trust and courage, too?  I mean it has got to take courage to accept life joyfully at that point in one’s life. 

If you have a Bible handy, read the account of the Visitation in Luke chapter 1.

As I have pondered and reflected upon the Visitation, I always think about what joy and love surrounded Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting; Mary had pure joy for her cousin who had been barren for so long and was now given the miracle of life, the gift of motherhood; Elizabeth had joy because 1.) her infant leapt! (this is always so wonder and awe-inspiring) 2.) Mary is the mother of the Savior! 3.) The Messiah is here and all the promises that she had known as a faithful, God-fearing Jew were coming true.  Up to this point, Mary and Elizabeth were just cousins.  But now Elizabeth revers Mary as, “The Mother of My Lord”. Quite a drastic change!

This also proves Elizabeth’s humility, to highlight Mary and Jesus’ greatness before her own life.  Interestingly, this is also a virtue of her son, John.  “So this joy of mine has been made complete.  He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:29b-30).

Elizabeth gives birth to a baby boy, just as the Angel had said.  Zechariah is still mute, and it is tradition that the father names the baby, and to give him a family name.  In this case, their family wanted the child to be named Zechariah.  But Zechariah and Elizabeth know that the child is to be named John, so Elizabeth stands up to the family and insists that he be named John, which Zechariah, with full faith and trust in God, confirms.  Then he is given his voice back.  Again, more joy.

Now, let's turn our attention to Anna.  Joseph and Mary were presenting their first-born son to God.  This is prescribed in the Jewish law, but the law does not require the Presentation be done at the Temple.  This tradition probably can be traced back to Hannah’s presentation of Samuel in the Temple. 

We also meet Anna in Luke. She was only married for 7 years and then a widow until her death.  Once she had become widowed, she decided to spend the rest of her days praying and fasting in the Temple.  Again, if you have your Bible handy, read Luke 2:36-38

I am estimating that Anna probably spent 50 years praying and fasting in the Temple!

Earlier I spoke about the Temple and how there was the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of Women, the Court of Men, then the Altar outside the Holy of Holies where only the priests could go. 

When I first learned about how the Temple was laid out, my gut reaction was, “Hey, that’s not fair for women!  But put yourself in Anna’s shoes – she for DECADES waited and prayed for the Messiah, as any good Jew did.  But she obviously was waiting with a certain FOCUS and DETERMINATION.  I personally feel like it takes a very deep passion and strong relationship with God to stay THAT committed to praying in the Temple. 

Now, I honestly don’t think Anna sat outside in the Woman’s Court frustrated all the time because her rights as a woman were not being met.  The culture was not like that at all.  That is just my modern perspective forcing itself in the story.  But I do have to wonder if she ever did just long for and wonder what it was like to be in God’s presence, every now and then.  Hoping and yearning to be near to Him.

And then, on an ordinary day, she hears Simeon pronouncing a blessing over a little baby boy, calling him the “light” and the “glory” of Israel.  At that moment, it didn’t matter that the Temple had distinctions between men, women, and Jews.  For Christ, the Messiah, had come for ALL.  There is no division in Christ; He comes to us as an unprejudiced baby; He wishes to come into the hearts of every one of us.  In that moment, she “came forward”, worshipping in awe of this infant Savior, knowing with confidence and assurance that He would save Israel.

Luke does not give us many details about Anna.  But he does mention her and so we know that she played an important role in God’s plan, just like Elizabeth.  She went out from that moment and spread the Good News.  She was one of Christ’s first disciples.  And as I read and prayed through this instance, I only imagined Anna leaving the Temple with a huge expression of joy on her face, with a “pep” in her step.  She had experienced the Joy of the Gospel!

Elizabeth, too, met the Lord with joy and enthusiasm.  She is the first recorded person in the Gospels to publically proclaim Jesus as Lord.  The something that these two women shared was that they were intimately connected to the Temple.  Really, both of these women’s whole lives centered on the Temple, as Elizabeth was from the priestly class and her husband was a priest, yet they were not allowed to physically enter the Holy Presence of God.

But now, these women encounter the Living Temple, Jesus Christ himself, and the Ark of the Covenant, Mary.  They had a PERSONAL encounter with the LIVING presence of God, not just a holy physical building.  They are among the first to “see, hear, and feel” God made flesh, Jesus Christ!!!

Ladies, the Good News that we learn from both of these women is that God is not distant!  He is not far away from us, watching us from some high lofty tower.  He has come to dwell among us, he has come to visit us RIGHT WHERE WE’RE AT.  In both cases, Jesus and Mary come TO these women.  And their instant reaction is JOY!  They encounter Christ and they are filled with joy.

I am reminded of the past few popes (and many other saints) who said, “joy is the mark of a true Christian”.  We CANNOT leave an encounter with Christ without joy.  And if we find ourselves without joy, then I think we need to do some introspection and figure out why.

I have certainly struggled with anger in the past few years since I have become a parent.  When my toddler seems to disobey all day long, I have found myself on my knees, crying and ashamed at the fit of rage that I had become.  Or, feeling so tired and overwhelmed with all of life's responsibilities, I have found myself despondent and depressed, lacking motivation to care for myself or my family.  Parenthood has tried me and tested me beyond what I ever could've imagined.  I've seen the ugliest parts of myself come through.

Somehow, by the grace of God, I am usually able to see the anger that comes out of me as a red flag to change my life.  I get to confession, confess my sins of anger and laziness.  Or make sure to make prayer time a priority, taking a good chunk of time to journal and pour out my heart to my Father. 

A few weeks back, I had found myself in the confessional for the second week in a row.  It was to the same priest as the week earlier (a priest whom I do not have any other contact with other then these two confessions).  Before the confession started, he said that I looked familiar and asked if we knew each other.  I responded, "Nope, I was just here in confession with you last week.  I am just a sinner, that's why you recognize me!"  I seriously left that confessional with so much joy.  There was something so uplifting and joy-filling about humbling myself before the Lord, admitting to Him that I could not live this life without Him and His grace!

I am so blessed to be apart of a "mom's group" on Facebook.  Many of these women live up north where I am originally from and lately they have had a lot of snow.  These mommas have been stuck inside with the kids and a bad case of "cabin fever".  I can only imagine wanting to pull my hair out and having my joy and peace easily stolen away by the circumstances.  One particular mother shared that she has to wake up, have some stretch time, some prayer time, then she spends time in front of the mirror making goofy, silly, big grins.  This always works in setting a joyful tone to her day.  This advice really resonated with me.  I think there are many days when we have to make a conscious decision to CHOOSE JOY.

I also want to challenge all of us in how we relate to Our Lord in the Eucharist, the Sacrament in which He is TRULY PRESENT, body, blood, soul and divinity.  He is physically, completely, spiritually, eternally with us in the Mass and Adoration.Jewish people, if they did not live in Jerusalem, like Joseph and Mary, had to travel long distances to go to the Temple.  Heck, there are many Catholics in the world today who have to wait months to receive the Eucharist because they are in mission territory.  But we are a drive away.  This city is named CORPUS CHRISTI and we have many Catholic churches here. 

And how do we greet Our Lord when we enter our sanctuary?  When we participate (or don’t participate) in Mass?  When we receive Him in our own bodies?

Let’s all commit to actively living out the Joy of the Gospel, by greeting Our Lord with Joy when we meet him in the sacraments, and when we meet Him in others.  Our joy comes from not only just meeting the Lord, but then actively choosing to GIVE HIM the gift of our selves; to give OTHERS the gift of ourselves.  When we choose to put Christ first in our lives, I think we will find that joy.

The point is that it is in GIVING OURSELVES, wholeheartedly to God and to others, we will possess JOY.

I want to leave you with the words of John the Baptist, the son of Elizabeth: 
“So this joy of mine has been made complete.  He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:29b-30).