Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year B

The readings for the Thierteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year B may be found at:  

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/063024.cfm

Today's Gospel from the evangelist, St. Mark is sometimes referred to as a “sandwich” gospel,

and I’m not just saying that because I’m hungry or because I like bread or because I like sandwiches.  

All of those things are 100% true by the way.

But it’s referred to as a “sandwich” gospel 

because St. Mark starts with one story about a little girl 

and then inserts another story about the woman with the hemmorage, 

before going back to the original story.

A sandwich, containing two powerful stories of healing and faith.  

And as much as I like bread,  I’m going to focus inside the sandwich, 

on the story of the woman with the hemmorage.

The medical definition of a hemmorage is the loss of blood usually involving a lot of bleeding in a short time.  

This woman has bled for twelve years.

Not a short amount of time.

Imagine the physical and emotional toll this condition had on her - 

the constant discomfort, the isolation, and the financial burden it caused. 

And if this wasn’t enough, under Jewish law she was considered unclean, unlawful, an outcast.  

Yet she chose to work her way through a large crowd of people to get to Jesus.

By definition, crowds are often disorganized and unruly.

Being in a crowd is not a comfortable place to be.  

In a crowd, you are nameless, faceless.  

You're almost not a person.  You can get lost in a crowd.  

Despite all of this, despite all that was working against her, 

she courageously made her way through the large crowd to get to Jesus.

Working her way through the crowd, 

she approached him from behind 

in a spirit of faith and belief to touch only his garment.

Her faith was so great - 

she believed the small act of touching his garment would heal her.

An act of courage and faith expressed in complete humility.  

She knew she was unworthy to touch our Lord.

So aren’t we all.

And with this humble touch of his garment, she is healed.

It made me wonder.

How do we approach Jesus?  

Like the crowd - around Jesus but not really connecting with him?

Coming to Mass, going through the motions once a week only to go on, unchanged to the rest of our lives?

Not making the sacrifice to adore him in the blessed sacrament 

or in choosing to gossip about the alleged missteps of our priests instead of praying for them.

Or do we approach Jesus with courage, faith and humility, 

reaching out to him, fully aware of our unworthiness.

And does our encounter with Jesus change us? 

Does it change who we are and how we do what we do? 

Do we bring the spirit of hope and joy and generosity and testimony of the healing power of Jesus to other people?

In all the crowd pressing around Him, 

only this woman actually touched Jesus, 

not with her hand, 

but with the deep faith that was in her heart.

Now, we may not have a hemmorage lasting twelve years.

But in our daily lives, we may have challenges that may seem just as insurmountable. 

Maybe it's a chronic illness, a troubled relationship, or a persistent struggle with sin. 

Maybe we’ve carried those burdens much longer than twelve years.

Like this woman, we are called to approach Jesus with courage and faith, even when all seems lost. 

We need contact with Jesus.  

And we get that -  when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and when we encounter him in the sacraments.

But is that contact with Jesus all it is meant to be?

Are we a member of the crowd around Jesus, walking near him to be seen with him?

Is our relationship with Jesus just an intellectual exercise, 

in our thoughts and in our minds, 

in the motions we go through, 

But not really in our hearts?  

Or do we approach him with humility, 

aware of how unworthy we are, 

and with courage and a strong faith in him?

Do we understand how unclean we are 

and how much we need his sacramental grace?

Do we attend confession regularly 

to ensure our soul is properly disposed to be in full communion with Jesus 

and so that we can receive him worthily in the Holy Eucharist?

Does our relationship with Jesus heartfelt and does it influence how we treat others?

We all need to encounter Christ in our lives.

We can encounter him like the crowd 

or like the woman with the hemmorage.

To be simply seen with him and to watch what he will do 

or to be courageous, faithful and humble as we approach him in all of our brokenness 

and to be healed by him. 

The choice is up to us.