I was overjoyed to read the Gospel with Pat last night and realize that it is the woman, who touched the hem of his garment and was healed of a issue of blood that had been going on for 12 years! Mark 5: 21-43 This has to be one of my most favorite and powerful in an experience that I had through my daughter, Susan, who was attending ST Thomas in Catholic Studies, and at this point she was living in a discernment house with the group that is now the Handmaids of the Merciful Heart of Jesus - a new community that is in our diocese in New Ulm! I was invited up by Susan to a gathering called "Cora Jesu" or Heart of Jesus. Susan was to give a short meditation at the beginning, and it was short and very touching in her sharing of how much she loved Jesus and receiving him every day and adoring Him on the altar was her joy and honor. It was filled with humble love from a future spouse of Jesus, and a mother sat in the beautiful church filled with young excited people and wept. Then Jesus was processed in and placed on the altar, and around the base of the monstrance was placed a scarf type of fabric with the two ends flowing down in front of the altar, and those present were invited to come up and hold onto the hem of his garment while they lifted up their prayers and adoration! In front of the church Praise and worship music was going on- singing to Praise and Honor HIM! "Halleluia! Halleluia!" Little Sister Hallel/Susan chose this as her name - Hallel - because "whenever anyone says my name they are giving the highest praise to God!"
In a short time I will be spending some time in Adoration and I feel myself getting so excited - the best hour that I spend each week! When I have been spiritual director at a retreat and we have Jesus present - I have put the scarf around the monstrance so that those present can touch the hem of his garment in this special prayer time! Back to my experience of Cora Jesu... there were probably 4 priests present and reconcilliation was going on in the midst of this amazing sight and sound! So powerful! I watched with the eyes of my heart as a many went forward two at a time to grasp the end of the "garment" and gain His healing and Love! The most beautiful sight was a Sister, who has been a Bride of Christ for 25 years, kneeling in front of her spouse in this close communion of love! The watercolor that I started with today of the scene before me at this amazing life changing evening of Adoration/Reconcilliation/Praise and Worship/Witness of Love and Calling... along with the words of Danielle Rose's song, If I touch him... the pictures are of John's brain cancer and Fr Craig annointing him before he went for his brain biopsy, and the crucifix at St Joseph's hospital of the vision of St Peregrine - Christ reached down from the crucifix and healed him of cancer! John is now 2 years healed - no cancer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaCR24-tkWI Here is this amazing song for you to cry with this day! Danielle writes her music in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and it shows! Thank you, Danielle for this gift. I have used this song many times with talks that I have given at retreats. There is so much to it... as it reminds us that all we need is in the Eucharistic Lord we receive each and every day of our lives... it is there for us! He is still there for us to touch and be healed!
"A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Wanting to savor the amazing story of faith and healing just as it is shared in the Gospel today! May Jesus touch you in a special way this day and forward!
Jesus, we are forever changed by your love and healing! How we clung to the hem of your garment throughout our cancer/healing journey! We were lifted up by your sacraments and healed! We found strength in our faith and hope and trust in you being in control of the storm- of the cancer within John's brain! We rejoice and come forth and fall on our knees before the entire world to give you the honor and the glory, and the wisdom of your Church! WE found all that we needed in your Church for us to put one foot in front of the other and to walk forward into the unknown - knowing that you fed us with your Body and Blood - we touched you and you healed us! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb"And again, jsut as the woman afflicted with an issue of blood believed truly and touched the hem of the garment of the Lord and immediatley received a healing and the flow of the unclean fountain of blood dried up, so everyone afflicted by the incurable wound of sin, the fountain of unclean and evil thoughts, if he only approaches Christ and begs prayerfully and truly believes in him, salvific healing from the incurable fountain of passions. That fountain, which has been sending up unclean thoughts, now fails and dries up through the power of Jesus alone.... The woman with the blood hemorrhage spent all her money on those who were supposed to be able to cure her, but she was not healed by them until she approached the Lord with genuine faith and touched the hem of his garment."
Pseudo-Macarius (390)
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