Gospel Reflection for The 7th day of July in the year of Our Lord, 2025
Matthew 9:18-26
18 As he was speaking these things unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and adored him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus rising up followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment.
21 For she said within herself: If I shall touch only his garment, I shall be healed. 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout, 24 He said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 And when the multitude was put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand. And the maid arose.
26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that country.
For a ruler of the Jews to approach Jesus, he must have been desperate. Surely, doctors had been unable to help his daughter, and he believed her now to be dead. It was not always clear in ancient times when a person was truly dead. That is why we have customs of waiting for a period of time before burial to ensure that the deceased was not in a coma. Perhaps the ruler had suspected or even believed that Jesus could heal his daughter, but pride of station would not allow him to approach the man causing so much controversy. Now, he has nowhere left to turn. He has heard that Jesus can even raise the dead. His last hope is to ask help from our Lord.
The woman in the story has been hemorrhaging blood for twelve years. Surely, she was on the point of death. Even in our time, such menstrual issues are not uncommon. In ancient Israel, they knew to use herbs such as sage, oak bark and shepherd's purse as astringent teas to reduce such bleeding. Likely, she had been treating herself with such remedies for years, only to have the condition gradually worsen, perhaps due to a cyst or a tumor that was slowly growing. She sees Jesus and knows that her only hope is healing from Him.
Whether in matters of health, family issues, finances or other issues, how often do we wait until we have exhausted all options before we turn desperately to God for help? In truth, our every breath and heartbeat depends on God. But, we think we can handle things on our own. I know that such has been the case for me too many times to count. I can also attest that when I try to solve my own problems, I usually just screw things up even worse.
God is always willing to help us and waiting for us to be humble enough to ask for help. He may not always help in the way we expect or in our timing. But as a Father, it is His role to help His children. He will not violate our free will. We must learn to rely on God for all of our needs.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2025 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5BHFZ7X
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic