Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

The unknown woman

In the Gospel of Mark 5: 21-43 we are shown the admirable compassion of Jesus before a woman suffering from hemorrhaging. Jesus walks with Jairo, to heal his daughter. During the journey Jesus is touched by a woman who suffers from severe hemorrhages.

Mark gives us some information about this woman's illness that helps us to get an idea of ​​her condition. She had been suffering from blood flow for twelve years, so we can imagine that she would be physically very weak. In addition, a disease of such a long duration is always exhausting for both the sufferer and those who care for her.

But the disease had not only undermined her physical strength, but it had also ended with all her financial resources, spent uselessly in doctors who had failed to find a solution for her illness, even, "before it was worse."
But a disease of this kind also had certain religious implications that would undoubtedly increase her pain. According to the Levitical law, a woman with a blood flow was in a condition of ceremonial impurity, which prevented her from participating in the worship of God. We can imagine how this illness would have conditioned her relationship with God over the years. This is the painful reality of many people who want to reach our Church. They have been rejected, evicted and excluded by our society, but we will welcome them.

For all this it is necessary to understand that the Church is not called to contemplate the pain of the people but rather to transform that pain into an experience of liberation. We are not preaching a defeatist gospel but rather a gospel of power, of triumph. Hence the fact that just like the sick woman, she has to constantly overcome obstacles. These obstacles are not a problem but rather opportunities for us to express our compassion and our love.

In solidarity love,

 

Author: 
Fr. Luis
Date news: 
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 - 10:30

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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