Lay your hand on her, and she will live

7 JULY (Mt 9,18-26)

Each line of the Gospel is always a new teaching to us. The truth contained in it must be drawn each day as if it were the first time that we come to it. The Gospel must be approached with an always fresh and renewed astonishment. When a single line of the Gospel does no longer surprise us, no longer charms us, does not arouse in us a profound wonder, it is the sign that our heart has become of stone and is addicted to the truth. It is no longer able to feed itself with evangelical excitement, wonder and amazement. It is no longer either touched or conquered by the beauty of the Word of Lord Jesus.

Jesus must always be seen with new eyes and a new heart. He must be seen as the men and women who every day meet with him or go to seek, see him. Jairus, according to Matthew’s account, sees Jesus as the one who can free his daughter from death. Jesus the giver of life not only to the spirit, soul, feelings and our hope. He is also capable of giving life to the bodies. This new faith moves Jairus. He sees him capable. He knows him capable. He invites him starting with his new faith. If our faith is old, we turn to Christ in a not true, not holy way, because our life is always in a perpetual novelty, and if Jesus is not seen with an always new faith in the end we abandon him, we get tired of Him and we do not need him.

The haemorrhaging woman also sees Jesus in a new way. You should not ask Christ with your mouth. It is enough to approach, touch him and grace is made. She sees Jesus in everything as a fiery furnace. When you enter into a furnace you do not need to say to it to warm us up. Words are not needed. They are not worth anything. Not only does its fire warm up, it also incinerates, transforms us into fire, into flame. It cancels us in our nature and transforms us into something else. Jesus is more than the fiery furnace, more than a blast furnace to this woman. It suffices to approach him and you are transformed into the perfect life. Whoever touches Jesus is cured, healed, renewed, purified, cleansed, washed and transformed. This faith must be put in the heart even today. The haemorrhaging woman condemns us all, because we are from the dead faith, by now we are regular in our habit. We got accustomed to Lord Jesus.

We think that we have to tell him ten thousand words to be heard. The woman does not say words. She throws herself into the furnace. She lets herself be set on fire by Lord Jesus, she is cured of her ill. The others had not healed her because they were not and are not fiery furnaces. They are simple men also in need to be cast into the furnace of the love and grace of Lord Jesus. We must print this faith in our hearts. By now, it is dead and non-existent. Jesus Christ is for us a cold boulder stone in an everlasting glacier. This is our true relationship with Him. It is attested by the way in which we approach the Eucharist. He, divine and human furnace, comes into us with his fire of truth and grace, and we remain the same. We do not operate any change. We are not even transform into a very small thing.

While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land.

Here is another view that we must always have of Lord Jesus. There is no death and no life to him. He is the perennial creation of life, novelty, truth, justice and holiness. With him life turns instantly into death. With him death returns to be life. It s enough that He simply commands it, wants it and says it. We must also plant this faith back in our hearts. He is the eternal furnace that burns every death.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, give us true faith in Jesus.