. . . does faith always heal us . . .

There is this really famous story in the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew & Luke) about a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. Aka she had her period for twelve years straight. In the ancient Jewish tradition, she would have been considered unclean - an untouchable. She was an outcast in her community. I can imagine her desperation and resolve when she heard that Jesus was passing through her town. She found the courage to go into the crowd to get a glimpse, to possibly touch him. She knew that doing so would heal her.

In the middle of that crowd, Jesus felt the power go out of him when she reached out and touched the fringe of his garment... he asked, "who touched me?" Nervously she explained what happened. And Jesus cared for her and confirmed, "daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." (Luke 8:42-48 is one reading of this)

If it was only that easy for us today, 2000 years removed from when Jesus walked the earth. If only we could reach out and touch his cloak and be healed. I know the Holy Spirit is with us and it is easy to reach out to the heart of God, but sometimes our faith doesn't heal us. Our bodies aren't meant to last, but we want so desperately for God to heal us just like Jesus did that day two millennia ago.

Dave's surgery could not be completed today. The doctors found the mass in his pancreas to be twice the size the scan showed. They had to close him back up and will start chemo in two to three weeks.

As I left St. Luke's today I made sure to stop by the chapel to pray and to update our database at church. On the altar was a cross, but the mosaic on the wall showed the story of the hemorrhaging woman with Jesus (without the crowd). It says at the bottom, "great is your faith, be it as you desire."

When we receive news like the news above, we wonder and cry out to God, "isn't our faith great enough? This isn't what we desired!"

This story always brings me hope, but now my heart grieves. Rosemary, Dave and their daughters won't lose faith today because of this news. They will struggle to make sense of it and discern next steps. As for me, I'll remember what I've always believed, God answers prayers in ways that only God understands. Our minds cannot grasp the concept of the ways in which God works. All we can really do is know that God's intentions for us are greater than we have the capability to understand.

Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayers.