About the Bleeding One, from the Gospel of Luke.

Life distributes wealth to some, to others to others, providing everyone with what they need and what is useful. God has given us one wealth of the Spirit, multiplied by faith and of the greatest value, according to what is written: “one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one individually as He pleases” (1 Cor. 12:11). Faith alone abides with those who have it; she does not deceive the one who possesses her, does not betray the one who acquired her, is not stolen by thieves, is inaccessible to robbers, does not require seals, does not need protection: she is protected by God, who for her sake delivers everything to everyone with readiness. Kings desire to have her, but simpletons have her, nobles covet her, but she herself comes to the poor and kisses the humble, comes to the weak and, strengthening them, guides them, bestowing healings free of charge. So, when you see, beloved, Christ descending from the mountain and ascending the mountain again, approaching the lake, crossing the sea, walking through fields, cities and villages, along with His earthly walk, remember His heavenly stay: do not forget sitting on the cherubim, do not ignore the Divine for the sake of the human, do not consign heaven to oblivion, do not forget that the Word became flesh as He willed. Yes, the Word became flesh: as flesh He walks, as the Word abides; as flesh ascends a mountain, as the Word sits on cherubim; how the flesh experiences for my sake what is proper to me, how the Word without difficulty does the works of His Father, turning water into wine at Cana; It opens the doors of light, recreating vision with clay and a finger. He said to the leper: “I want you to be cleansed” (Matthew 8:3), and according to His word the disease disappeared. “Get up, take up your bed and go to your house” (Matthew 9:6). “Get up,” He says to the paralytic, and His word served him instead of legs, and together with the command the sick man received the ability to walk. He came to Jairus's house, and sadness immediately gave way to joy. And today, surrounded by a crowd of people, He emits light from the hem of his robe and in a stream of faith stops the flow of blood. What exactly did the Evangelist tell us today, testifying to the many different benefits of faith? “There was,” he says, “a certain ruler of the synagogue, a zealot for the law of Moses and a teacher of the people, named Jairus.” The only consolation was given to him by nature, his only begotten daughter, who was looked after by a crowd of servants, as custom demanded of a child-loving father. But, as it turns out, unknown to himself, he raised her not to be his heir, but for premature burial. Some serious illness attacked her, brought her to death, and deprived her father of all the hopes placed in her. But this blow did not shake his father’s faith: Jairus immediately goes to the Savior and asks Him to come to his house. The Lord readily hurries to this call: “And Jesus stood up and followed him” (Matthew 9:19). But look, faithful one, what pious violence is undertaken by a woman, what wise theft is arranged, what safe theft is planned by a weak creature. Since the Savior hurried to the call of Jairus, He had to complete this journey as quickly as possible. “And at that very time,” says the Evangelist, “a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years, coming up from behind, touched the hem of His garment, for she said to herself: if I only touch His garment, I will be healed.” born from the Virgin Mother, as He himself favored; He does not disdain secret illnesses, because I am a woman, and I am subject to a shameful and secretive illness; I suffer from a constant flow of blood and an uncontrollable flow of unclean discharge. and does not allow me to approach anyone. People avoid me, the unfortunate one, as if from an unclean infection, but this Doctor, as the Creator of nature, who created a wife from a rib, will not refuse, perhaps, to correct the deficiency. Just command Him one word - and my illness will stop. He is disturbed in spirit - and hell gives Him its dead; With a few loaves He feeds thousands; washed with tears - and exudes remission of sins. But who will decide to undertake what I have in mind, unless it is only faith free from all doubt? So, entrusting my soul to her guidance, I will quietly approach him and steal the healing with a silent touch. After all, even if what I have done remains secret, I will still receive benefit, because I know that I will be healed. And if I fail to remain unnoticed and I am discovered, they will not blame me for having decided on such insolence for the sake of healing, and they will not deprive me of what faith has already stolen. After all, all the gifts of faith are unrepentant, like God’s, and He who said to the sea: “Be silent, cease” (Mark 4:39), will also conclude my secret source. So, dare, faith, take the helm and rush into the waves of this sea of ​​people, so that my damaged bodily vessel can be brought to the desired quiet pier. One drop of His help can easily stop the flow of my blood.” Having reasoned this way with herself, she boldly dares to undertake an extremely bold deed, and is neither afraid of time, nor deterred by poverty, nor does she consider the multitude of people, but having overcome all this by faith, or, better yet, with the help of faith, she imperceptibly touches the clothes of the Lord and in good time steals the healing she needs, believing that union with Him will put an end to her suffering. And so it happened: she was immediately healed of her illness. For twelve years, day after day, year after year, she dragged out her life in a debilitating illness, bleeding all the time, but still not dying. The first year she had to experience suffering and pain, the second year went by - and the secret of this unfortunate woman began to make noise throughout the city; the third year came - and she began to experience a contraction of veins and muscles; the fourth year came - and blood poured out of her; the fifth year - and doctors flocked from everywhere, exposing members inaccessible to the eyes of men; turned six years old - and her situation became more and more dire; the seventh year - and, despite the enormous costs, the flow of her blood continued to flow uncontrollably; the eighth year was completed - and those who healed her admitted their powerlessness; the ninth year passed - and they moved away, leaving her as a sacrifice to complete despair; the tenth year approached - and the woman had no more money or health; the eleventh year - and no one came to the aid of the sufferer; the twelfth year was counted - and now, at the last hour, the Physician of souls appeared, healing with touch, word and faith. Having met Him and being filled with faith in the possibility of healing, she received what she wanted, but was in awe when she learned that she could not remain unnoticed. Really, what did the Savior say? “Who touched Me? For I felt power going out from Me” (Luke 8:45, 46). He did not ask: “What kind of woman touched Me?”, so that those around them would not consider this question about a woman not concerning them, but asked: “Who touched Me?” , the vagueness of the question giving each of the listeners reason to think that such an attempt was made by a man. “Who touched Me? For I felt the power coming from Me." What do Your words mean, Lord? After all, this is why You came, so that Yours might be plundered? After all, You yourself voluntarily proposed that Your kingdom should be “admired” by the faithful? How do you ask about what you yourself know, how do you seek what you already know? If, against Your will, the power that came from You was stolen from You, then You had to retain it; If the theft was committed with Your consent, then why are You still dissatisfied, having given what faith seeks to receive from You? You granted healing without asking, and, having already granted it, you interrogate? You healed invisibly, and after healing you demand an answer? No,” he says, “I know the one who robbed Me, this innocent predator did not hide from Me, but I want to reveal her to everyone, so that she would appear as a messenger of the good deed done to her.” I willingly submitted to such theft on her part, and now I want to testify to everyone about what was given to her: “Be of good cheer, daughter! your faith has saved you” (Matthew 9:22). Use what you stole so skillfully; take what you stole unnoticed; possess undeniably what faith has given you. Today you are called a daughter instead of a slave, and anointed instead of a defiled one: “Be well from your illness” (Mark 5:34). Do you see, beloved, what is the power of faith, what a miracle it performed in an instant, encouraging her who trembled in silence with fear, and pleasing the Physician? Thus, the Church, chosen from among the pagans, became jealous of this bleeding woman and approached the Lord in silence by faith, stopped the unclean flow of legitimate blood and, having received the name of daughter, became the mother of many, according to ancient testimony: “for she who is abandoned has many more children than she who has a husband” (“as many are the empty children more than those who have a husband”) (Isa. 54:1) By having a husband I mean here the synagogue, for which the law was the husband, the ruler of the synagogue, who today called on the Lord to return his deceased daughter. But regarding the miracle that was performed on her, I remain, after the expiration of the allotted time, indebted to you, representing in this the guarantee of the very Distributor of wealth, to whom glory belongs forever and ever. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom, and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.