How to Be Healed

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Mark
     When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
     to the other side,
     a large crowd gathered around him, and he      stayed close to the sea.
     One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
     Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
     “My daughter is at the point of death.
     Please, come lay your hands on her
     that she may get well and live.”
     He went off with him,
     and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
     There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
     She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
     and had spent all that she had.
     Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
     She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
     and touched his cloak.
     She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
     Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
     She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
     Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
     turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
     But his disciples said to Jesus,
     “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
     and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
     And he looked around to see who had done it.
     The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
     approached in fear and trembling.
     She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
     He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
     Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
     While he was still speaking,
     people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
     “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” 
     Disregarding the message that was reported,
     Jesus said to the synagogue official,
     “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
     He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
     except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
     When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
     he caught sight of a commotion,
     people weeping and wailing loudly.
     So he went in and said to them,
     “Why this commotion and weeping?
     The child is not dead but asleep.”
     And they ridiculed him.
     Then he put them all out.
     He took along the child’s father and mother
     and those who were with him
     and entered the room where the child was.
     He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
     which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
     The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
     At that they were utterly astounded.
     He gave strict orders that no one should know this
     and said that she should be given something to eat.


     If someone were to ask you, “Is there anything you want to be healed of?” you might first think of a physical kind of illness like a chronic disease or a mental illness like depression. Yes, Jesus wants to heal those things, but when I pray with this Gospel passage, my heart turns more toward my desire to be healed of my spiritual illnesses, my sins. Like many of you, I find myself trying to cure myself of a rotating list of the same sins. Like the hemorrhaging woman, I’ve seen many “doctors” who could not truly heal me—self-help blogs, motivational YouTube videos, a rigorous set of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve felt the despair of having spent all I had by trying to fix my brokenness by my own willpower. I’ve felt like my hope of being healed was totally lost, just as Jairus felt when the people around his home said his daughter had already died. But Jesus responds to me, “have faith,” and later, “your faith has saved you” (Mark 5:36, 34). 

     The people in this Gospel teach us a formula for healing that we can practice in our own lives. They have these things in common: they are desperate, they have faith that Jesus will heal them, and they fall on their knees and physically touch Jesus. Desperation is an expression of how we know that we need healing; if you think your problem isn’t that big of a deal, then you won’t seek out the necessary means to have it addressed. Get real with yourself, you are in need of healing because of your sins. Faith in Jesus’ power is a key aspect of healing; the more we trust in Him, the more He is able to work in us. Falling on your knees and touching Jesus is the most beautiful part. We fall on our knees in the sacrament of Reconciliation, which is literally a sacrament of healing, and we touch Jesus’ body physically when we receive Him in the Eucharist. We have the great privilege of being a part of the Church who “believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life” (CCC, 1509). Friends, no one else can heal you but Jesus. Run to Him in your desperation, with faith and hope, and He will heal you.

     As you continue to pray with this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, spend some time reflecting on these questions: Have you ever tried to heal yourself without going to Jesus? How did that go?
Do you feel desperate to get rid of sin in your life or do you feel like your sins aren’t really a big deal? Do you trust that Jesus can heal you or do you feel like you are “too far gone” for healing? What does Jesus say about this?


About the Author: Sarah McDowell is 22 years old and was born and raised in good ol’ Baton Rouge. When she’s not studying, you can find her walking in the park, cooking with her roommate, or watching videos on YouTube. Her greatest aspiration in life is to become a saint! 
What food would you eat every day for the rest of your life: Fresh baked bread.
What book are you reading right now: Three to Get Married by Fulton Sheen
What are the top three songs on your playlist? "2/14" by The Band CAMINO; "The Bones" by Marren Morris, Hozier; and "Louise" by Mipso

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics


The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week. If you are interested in writing a reflection, please email Nicole at [email protected].