Seventh Sunday of Luke: Luke 8:41–56

There are moments when we cannot find the words to pray. All we have is our anguish and one last hope. This is how Jairus approaches Christ: a synagogue leader who falls at His feet because his only daughter is dying. This is also how the woman suffering from a flow of blood approaches Him: exhausted by twelve years of illness, she secretly touches the hem of His garment. One pleads openly; the other approaches in silence. Christ welcomes them both. He does not ask for carefully phrased words, but meets each person in the reality of their pain.

The Evangelist connects the two stories through a moving detail: the woman has suffered for as long as the girl has been alive. Twelve years of life that may be coming to an end; twelve years of suffering that seem endless. In this encounter, Christ reveals Himself as the One who has authority over illness and death, without overlooking the individuality of each person.

The woman touches the hem of His garment and is healed. Yet her touch does not work like magic. The Lord Himself explains what has happened: “Your faith has saved you.” Salvation comes not from some impersonal power in the fabric, but from Christ, to whom she entrusts…