By Sister Marianne Ferguson
Watching the sunrise this morning, I noticed small clouds with bright rims around them. As the sun rose, its light began to obscure the rim until the cloud was completely overwhelmed. The rim spoke to me of the woman with the 18-year hemorrhage who had the courage to touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak. A feminist Biblical scholar compared her behavior of fear and trembling after the cure with the behavior of most men who jumped up and followed Jesus.
Sometimes I wonder if we hesitate in our prayer to reach for the hem of Jesus’ power for fear of being overwhelmed by His Love. We may not like what we find there. Self-knowledge can be formidable and call to change uncomfortable. We might feel that we should live up to expectations that such favors from God might exact. Finally, we can learn to just relax and enjoy the bountiful love that God extends to everyone.
