Mt 9:18-26 Faith Takes Courage
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured.
Courage, daughter! What impressed me most about this Gospel passage was how the Lord told this woman, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.”
Contrary to what some people think, it takes courage, not a weak mind, to believe. We all know that courageous people are people who can step outside of themselves. We all know that people of great faith are people who can step outside of their comfort zone. What few of us realize is that it takes great courage to have great faith.
This woman, who had been suffering for years, stepped out of man’s world and stepped into the Lord’s world. It took courage. It took faith. Courage daughter! Your faith has saved you.
In my own little corner in my own little chair. We are constantly trying to make our world smaller. Why? So that we can have more control in it. It’s all about control. It’s all about escaping reality. As Cinderella would sing: “In my own little corner in my own little chair I can be whatever I want to be.”
So we reduce things to smaller things. We reduce our Universe to earth; our earth to our nation; our nation to our state; our state to our city; our city to our home; our home to our bedroom. This is my room! Why is a teenager’s room so important? Because they have control over it. This is where they can escape reality; the reality that they have very little control over anything.
Faith requires courage. Hope requires courage. It’s so easy to give up. Just today I read the story of a young woman who went partying with some friends in the middle of Lake Hubbard. At a certain moment she jumped off the boat and into the lake and saw the boat take off without her. Not wearing a life jacket, the young woman was stranded in the middle of Lake Hubbard, treading water for nearly two to three hours before being rescued. She admits she nearly lost hope, but along with treading water she said her prayers and felt “like God was my life jacket and I had a lot of angels with me, carrying me through the water.”Don’t give up! We need faith. We need hope. Lord, increase my courage!
Weak minded individuals try their very best to explain what they can’t explain away. A weak mind tries to keep everything, as well as everyone, in check. That’s why dictators are weak minded individuals. They always seem to have all the “right” answers but they can’t fathom the thought of being “wrong.”