De fuemorrhoica et Archisynagogi filia
The Compassionate Journey
Jesus demonstrates humility and urgency by immediately following the synagogue leader to heal his dying daughter.
Christ, when asked by Jairus, follows him; in this, His humility and love shine forth. After this, a leader of the synagogue named Jairus approached Jesus, walking with both faith and bodily effort; he worshipped Him, showing Him the reverence due, and falling at His feet—the same feet that carried salvation to everyone—he begged for his only daughter, twelve years old, saying, 'Lord, my daughter is just now dead, and she is gone.' He said this based on his own perception, as he had lost hope of finding her alive. He spoke as if she were already dead, hoping the Lord would either heal her while she was dying or raise her up if she had already passed. Mark notes that she was at the point of death, yet she was so close to the end that she was considered dead. We often speak this way when someone is so near death that we count them as gone, because the distance between the two states seems like nothing at all. But come, and in Your mercy draw near; lay Your helping hand upon her, and she will live and be restored to health. He asks for two things for the sake of a third: namely, that He would come and lay on His hand, and so the daughter would come back to life—not knowing, of course, that He could have saved her even while absent. In a moral sense, since no one has more than one soul, one ought to be more concerned about its healing, because if one loses it, one loses everything. Spiritually, however, God comes through prevenient grace; He lays on His hand through concomitant grace; and then the soul lives through cooperative grace. As Jesus rose to leave, his disciples followed him—or rather, as Mark notes, a great crowd followed along with him. In this, a pattern is set for those under authority on how to obey, for equals on how to serve one another, and for those in authority on how to raise up souls that are dead. Hence Remigius says: "The Lord’s humility and gentleness are wonderful and equally worthy of imitation; for as soon as he was asked, he began to follow the one who asked him." In this way, he instructed both those under authority and those in authority: to the former, he left an example of obedience; to the latter, he demonstrated the urgency and care of teaching, so that whenever they hear that someone is dead in soul, they should be eager to be present immediately. Chrysostom also says: "When the Lord was asked by Jairus to go and raise his daughter, he didn't delay, but rose and followed him immediately." By this example, he taught us that we ought to be diligent in every work of God.
The Touch of Faith
A woman suffering from a hemorrhage finds healing by touching the hem of Christ's garment with humble faith.
And while Jesus was walking along, there was a woman—the one with the hemorrhage, so named for the illness she had been suffering from for twelve years, having endured a flow of blood—who... Having spent all her money on doctors, she came up from behind and touched him—partly because she was ashamed of her foul illness, partly because she was considered unclean under the Law, partly because she couldn't have approached him from the front due to the crowd, and partly because of the mystery of the shame that a person ought to feel for their own sin. She touched the hem of his garment, not only with a physical touch but also with the devotion of faith; in this, her humility is to be praised, because she considered herself unworthy to touch the feet of the Lord or even the fullness of his garment. For Christ had fringes on his clothes, according to the custom of the Jews and the commandment of the Law. See how the Lord had no doorkeepers, bodyguards, or attendants, nor anyone to strike those who pressed against him; and so the woman approached freely, even though the crowds were pressing in. Remigius says on this: 'Her faith is to be admired in this: because she despaired of being healed by the doctors on whom she had spent all her money, she understood that the heavenly Physician was present, placed all her intention in him, and therefore deserved to be saved.' And Rabanus says: 'The woman teaches us how great the Body of Christ is, since he demonstrated such power in the hem of his garment.' What, then, should we hope for, we who not only touch the Body of the Lord, but also prepare for and receive it? She indeed received medicine for her wound; but woe to those for whom the medicine itself is turned into a wound. For she was acting within herself, believing firmly, 'If I touch even his garment, I will be saved from my infirmity.' It was not because the garments had any power to heal, but because through this, the power of those whose garments they are is declared. On the woman with the issue of blood, and the daughter of the synagogue leader. They are garments. By touching, however, she was immediately healed of her plague; and it's noteworthy that she approached, and as she approached she spoke, and as she spoke she touched, and as she touched she received healing; because through these three—namely, word, faith, and work—all salvation is acquired.
The Confession and Restoration
Jesus calls the woman to confess her healing to reveal her faith, while providing lessons on humility and the nature of divine power.
Jesus, knowing that power had gone out from him, said, "Who touched me?" He didn't ask out of ignorance, as if he needed to be told, but so that the healed woman might confess it; and through her confession, her faith would be made plain and commended by Christ—both for the woman's own merit through her humble confession, and for the edification of those standing by, and for the praise and glorification of God, and to increase the hope of the synagogue leader and reassure him regarding the healing of his daughter. And when the disciples said that the crowds were pressing in on him, he said, "Someone touched me," for he added, "I know that power has gone out from me," meaning the effect of that power in the healing of an infirmity. For although the crowds who were pressing in on him out of a devotion to hear him were physically touching him in that crush, they were not touching him with the same devotion and faith as this woman had touched him; and it was that kind of touch that the Lord was specifically looking for. Seeing that she hadn't remained hidden, the woman—fearing in her heart and trembling in her body before the majesty of the divinity whose power she had experienced within herself—came and fell at his feet, and before all the people she declared the cause of her touch and her healing, confessing the truth about the severity and long duration of her infirmity and about her reception of complete health; for the Lord wanted this to be known, for the praise of God and the benefit of others. But Chrysostom asks: why does God make her manifest when she had approached him secretly? And in response, he provides six reasons for this: first, so that the woman with the hemorrhage, having touched Christ, would not have any remorse of conscience afterward; second, to correct the woman, since she thought she could hide this from Christ; third, to show her faith to everyone as an example of how to believe quickly; fourth, to show that he is the knower of all things; fifth, to show that as God he stops the flow of blood; sixth, to direct the synagogue leader toward faith. Jesus turned and saw her—that is, he acknowledged her faith—and said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well," meaning it earned this salvation for you. For since a miraculous work is above nature, he attributes it to faith, because faith is concerned with things that are above nature. Regarding this, Jerome says: "He didn't say, 'Your faith is going to make you well,' but 'has made you well,' as if to say: 'In the very fact that you believed, you have already been made well.'" Chrysostom also adds: "Because this woman was fearful, he says to her, 'Take heart,' and calls her 'daughter.'" He calls her 'daughter' once she is healed, by reason of her faith; for faith in Christ grants us the status of being children of God. It should also be noted that the Lord didn't say, "I have healed you," but "your faith," so that he might teach us to avoid vanity and exalt the merit of faith. Therefore, according to the same Chrysostom, the Lord speaks this way because her faith had healed her; he was unwilling to claim the benefit of the healing for his own power, but rather for her faith, teaching us by this that in our virtuous acts we ought to seek and proclaim not our own praise, but God's. And the Lord added: "Go in peace," for she had previously been in turmoil because of her long physical illness. Chrysostom says: "He says to her, 'Go in peace,' sending her into the end of all good things, in peace." For God dwells there so that she might know she was healed not only in her body, but also changed from the causes of her bodily suffering—that is, from her sins. And the woman was made whole from that hour. The Gloss says: "This must be understood as 'from that hour in which she touched the hem,' not 'from that hour in which Jesus turned to her'; for she had already been made whole, as we can gather from the Lord's words." Question. Answer? From the words of Ambrose, it seems to some that this woman was Martha; for in a certain sermon, among the benefits of Christ that he lists, he says: 'While He dried up the heavy flow of blood in Martha, while He cast out demons from Mary, while He bound up the body in Lazarus with the warmth of a returning spirit.' But from those words of Ambrose, it is clear that Martha was indeed healed by Christ of a flow of blood; however, it doesn't follow that Martha was the woman we are discussing here. And that this woman was not Martha seems evident from the fact that it is said of this woman that she had spent all her money on physicians; Martha, however, was wealthy. This is also clear from Eusebius, who says that this woman was a citizen of Caesarea Philippi. For according to him, after the woman with the flow of blood was healed, she had a bronze statue made in her home city of Caesarea Philippi, fashioned in the likeness of Christ, complete with the fringes of his garment; she held this image in great reverence and worshipped it devoutly. She also had an image of herself made opposite it, with knees bent and hands joined and crossed as if she were praying and pleading, and she would reach out her hand toward that image of Christ. It happened, however, that a certain herb grew beneath the image of Christ—one of no inherent efficacy or power—but when it touched the fringe, it possessed such power that it healed all infirmities. Jerome also says that Julian the Apostate, upon learning that there was a statue in Caesarea Philippi—the one that the woman who had been freed from the flow of blood had made—had it removed and placed his own image there, which was then shattered by a lightning strike. Here is a notable point for maintaining humility, which Bernard introduces by saying: "Anyone who serves the Lord perfectly can be called a fringe—the outermost part of the Lord's garment—because of their humble reputation." Therefore, whoever has reached such a state that they know they are heard by the Lord in freeing the sick or in other miracles should not be puffed up because of it; for it is not they, but the Lord who does it. For although this woman touched the fringe, trusting that she would be freed by its touch, and it happened that way, the power of liberation did not go out from the fringe, but from the Lord. That is why He said, "I felt power go out from me." Take note of this, then, and never attribute anything good to yourself, because everything comes from the Lord.
Allegories of Grace and Conversion
The healing of the woman and the daughter of the synagogue leader are interpreted as allegories for the conversion of the Gentiles and the restoration of the soul.
Allegorically, the woman with the flow of blood, who was healed by the Lord, is the Church gathered from the Gentiles, which had been defiled by the shedding of the blood of martyrs, by the pollution of idolatry, and by those things that are done in the pleasure of flesh and blood. She touched the hem of Christ’s garment when she believed in the faith of His Incarnation, for in Christ, humanity is the garment of divinity. Of Him it is said that He was made in the likeness of men and found in habit as a man; and then she was healed of the flow of blood, because she ceased to shed Catholic blood and was healed of the pollution of idolatry, the pleasure of the flesh, and the shedding of blood. While the Lord was on His way to the synagogue leader’s daughter, the sick woman was healed, because the salvation of the human race was ordered so that first some from Israel, and then the fullness of the Gentiles, would enter in, and thus all Israel would be saved. But once the woman with the flow of blood was healed, the synagogue leader’s daughter was reported dead, because while the Gentile world is being converted to God, the synagogue of perfidy and envy is rightly reported as dead. This was also signified in the parable of the two sons, whose elder brother was saddened by the conversion of the younger. Hence Ambrose says: 'Whom do we think is the leader of the synagogue, if not the Law, by whose contemplation the Lord did not entirely abandon the synagogue?' While the Word of God was hurrying to this leader’s daughter to save the children of Israel, the holy Church was gathered from the Gentiles, which had been perishing in the fall of lower crimes, and it snatched away the health that was prepared for others through faith. But what is the meaning of the fact that this daughter of the synagogue leader was dying at twelve years old, and that this woman was suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, if not to be understood that as long as the synagogue flourished, the Church labored? And Jerome adds: "Note, then, that this woman—that is, the Gentile people—began to fall ill at the very time the Jewish race came to believe; for unless a vice is shown by comparison with other sins, it isn't truly revealed." In a moral sense, the woman suffering from the flow of blood can also be understood as someone who has been a sinner for a long time, falling from one sin into another; yet she seeks a remedy from the Lord, saying to him: 'Free me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation.' The daughter of the synagogue leader. The Lord, therefore, heals the woman with the flow of blood every day, just as he heals the soul corrupted by various vices through his grace.
The Resurrection of the Daughter
Jesus arrives at the house, dismisses the mourners, and raises the synagogue leader's daughter from death.
Then, when messengers had come to the synagogue leader saying that his daughter was already dead, Jesus said to the leader, strengthening him in faith: "Don't be afraid; don't doubt in your faith, just believe, and she will be saved from death." When Jesus arrived at the leader's house, he found the girl already dead, with hired flute players performing a mournful song. Different melodies stir different passions in a person: some stir up courage, as is clear with war trumpets; some stir up devotion, as is clear in church hymns; some stir up joy, as is clear in various musical instruments; some stir up weeping and devout lamentation, and such were used in ancient times at the funerals of great people, so that the crowd might be provoked to weeping and mourning. Yet it isn't fitting for Christians to have such things, because they shouldn't weep inconsolably. He also found a crowd in an uproar, with much weeping, wailing, and howling—a tumult, as it is called, because it creates a confused sound—along with the preparations for the funeral. And he said: "Don't weep; the girl is not dead—that is, she is not to remain in death—but she is sleeping, that is, to me, because I can just as easily raise her as I can wake someone from sleep." Bede says: "To men she was dead, because they could not raise her; to God she was sleeping, for in His care her soul lived when received, and her body rested, waiting to be raised." Because of this, the custom has taken hold among Christians to call the dead, who will undoubtedly rise again, those who are sleeping. They mocked him, thinking he was speaking about the sleep of rest, and that he didn't know she was dead. Look, he is mocked in the courts of the powerful, yet he doesn't rebuke them, because the greater the mockery, the greater the display of his power afterward. Jerome says: 'They were not worthy to see the mystery of the one rising, since they mocked the one who was raising her with unworthy insults.' Even though the Lord was mocked by them, he didn't stop what he had begun. In this, good people are taught that when they are mocked by the wicked, they shouldn't stop the good work they've started just because of that. After he cleared out the crowd—those who were wailing, making a scene, and mocking him, and who were unworthy to witness the miracle because of their unbelief and derision—he went in with the girl's father and mother, whom he intended to strengthen in faith through the miracle, along with Peter, James, and John, whom he especially wanted to instruct. He wanted these five as witnesses to the miracle so that every word might be established by the testimony of two parents or three Apostles. In this act, the Lord also shows us that mysteries shouldn't be revealed to blasphemers and mockers, but to the faithful who honor them. And, according to Chrysostom, in the fact that the crowd is cast out and only the disciples enter the house—and not even all of them—he teaches us to avoid the glory that comes from many. Theophilus also says: "Raising the dead girl, he cast everyone out, as if teaching us to avoid empty glory and to do nothing for show; for the humble Christ didn't want to perform anything for the sake of ostentation." The Lord permitted only those three disciples to be present at his Transfiguration, at his prayer in agony, and at this raising: first, because of their dignity; second, to signify faith in the Trinity; third, to provide a sufficient number of witnesses; fourth, to signify and commend all states of the Church: for by Peter, who had a wife, the married are signified; by John, who was a virgin, virgins; and by James, who is not known to have been a virgin or to have had a wife, the widowed state. However, he allowed the girl's father and mother to enter because of their testimony. Taking the girl's hand, he said to her: "Talitha cumi," which translates to: "Girl, I say to you, arise." He healed her by touch and by voice, to show that His humanity was the instrument of the divinity that performs miracles. Therefore, according to Chrysostom, the hand of Jesus, being life-giving, brings the dead body to life, while His voice rouses the one lying there. The girl stood up immediately and walked, because there was no delay between His word and the deed. Chrysostom says: "In her walking, she is shown not only to have been raised, but also to have been perfectly healed." He ordered them to give her something to eat, to demonstrate that He had truly raised her, and not so that what had been done might appear to be a phantom. Mystically, the girl dead in the house is the soul dead through sin in its thoughts. Yet the Lord says that the girl is sleeping, because those who sin in the present life can still be raised through repentance. The flute players are the demons who suggest these things, or flattering men who cherish the dead soul and keep the body here in the lusts of the flesh and in comforts that easily end in the mourning of hell and desolation.
The Interior Life and Final Devotion
The chapter concludes with moral applications regarding the interior life and a prayer for spiritual healing.
As for us, as we head toward our true home, let's turn a deaf ear to the deadly songs of the sirens. This is why Ulysses had himself tied to the ship's mast and plugged his ears, so he wouldn't be deceived by the sirens' songs and jump into the sea. The noisy crowds are our disordered attachments or worldly friends; the mockers are secular people or those who tear others down. The crowd, therefore, must be cast out so that the girl may be raised, because the soul lying dead within cannot rise again unless fleshly attachments and worldly cares are first driven from the heart; for these things prevent anyone from gathering themselves to consider their own salvation. The flute players must be cast out, for they are like teachers who soothe the soul into error. The mockers must also be cast out, because they are to be despised and ignored. Then the girl is raised when Christ enters the home of the heart, bringing with Him John, who is grace; Peter, who is knowledge; and James, who is the supplanting of vices. Whoever has been raised from spiritual death—that is, from vices—must not only rise up from the filth of sins, but must also walk and make progress in good works; and they must soon be satisfied by the heavenly bread, that is, the Word of God and the Sacrament of the altar. Three things are worth noting here: the sinner's danger in the daughter—that is, the dying soul; the penitent's remedy in the leader—that is, the Church praying to God; and the Creator's kindness in Christ, who shows mercy. The soul conceives an illicit desire; it labors in the extremes when it approaches consent; but it dies when it consents, and then its works are dead. The remedy is sought when the leader approaches Christ by believing, adores Him by love, and calls upon the Lord in fear. Christ provides the benefit when He answers prayers, casts out the crowd by expelling sins or removing obstacles, and enters the house by pouring in grace; for guilt is cast out first, and then grace enters. To instill humility, the Lord Jesus, teaching us to flee ostentation and empty glory, commanded the parents not to tell anyone what had been done. As Gregory says, He showed that He is the giver of good things, not one who craves glory, and that He gives everything while receiving nothing. And yet, the fame of this spread throughout that entire land—the province of Galilee—to manifest the greatness and truth of the miracle everywhere. The Lord indeed forbade boasting, but not the manifestation of the miracle, because the thing itself spoke and made it manifest. It is as if He were saying: Don't glory in your good works, just as I don't in them. It's worth noting here that Christ forbade the miracle from being made public. He didn't forbid talking about miracles when they were done for the honor of God and to prove the faith—the very reasons the Lord performed them—but He did forbid it when done for the sake of worldly honor, the praise of men, or empty vanity. And so, the girl's parents followed the Lord's command by not publicizing the miracle for the sake of human applause; nor did they act against God's prohibition, since they proclaimed it to the glory of God. The two men cured of blindness, whom I'll mention shortly, acted the same way, as did many others about whom something similar is recorded. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the feet of Your mercy and truth. I most lovingly beg You: heal my soul, which is bloodstained and defiled by various sins, with the touch of Your grace. Raise it up from the death of my will and of my wicked, hidden intentions, and restore me to God and to Your Father, to whom You have adopted me as a son among Your co-heirs. Do not remember, good Lord, Your justice against Your sinner, nor Your wrath against Your debtor; but be mindful of Your kindness toward Your creature, and of Your mercy toward Your wretched one, Lord my God. Amen.
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1 Christus a Jairo rogatus euk sequitur; ubi ipsius humilitas et CARITAS ELUCENT. — PoSt hffiC , princeps unus synagogce nomine Jairus, accessit ad Jesum, tam fidei, quam corporis, gressibus; et adorabat eum, faciendo sibi reverentiam debitam, et procidendo ad pedes ejus, quibus circumportavit omnibus salutem, rogans, pro unica filia, annorum duodecim, et dicens : Domine f fllia mea modo defuncta est, et mortua. Hoc dilit secundum reputationem, quia enim desperabat filiam posse invenire vivam, de ea loquebatur ut jam defuncta, desiderans a Domino yel morientem sanari, velmortuam suscitari. Sed Marcus dicit, quod erat in extremis; tamen erat morti ita propinqua, quod reputabatur mortua, unde secundum communem modum loquendi, de illo qui sic est morti propinquus, dicitur quod est mortuus, quia quod modicum distare videtur, quasi nihil reputatur. Sed veni, et per misericordiam appropinqua, et impone manum 4uam, adjutricem super eam, et vivet, sanitate sibi restituta. Duo petit propter tertium, scilicet ut veniat, et manum imponat et sic filia reviviscat, ignorans scilicet quod et absens liberare poterat. Sic moraliter, cum quilibet non habeat nisi unicam animam, magis debet curare de ejus sanatione, quia si oam amittit, totum amittft. Spiritualher aiftem venit Deus, per gratiatn pflaevenientem; manum imponit , per gratiam concomitantem ; et tunc anima vivit, per gratiam cooperantem.
Et surgens Jesus, sequebatur eum, et discipuli ejtfs, imo, juxta Marcum, turba multa cum eo. In hoc datur subditis forma obediendi, ac paribus mutuo obsequendi, et praelatis animas mortuas suscitandi. Unde Remigius : « Mifa au*tem pariter atque imitanda Domini humilitas et mansuetudo l Nam mox ut rogatus est, rogantem coepit sequi. Hinc ^Ubditos et ^rselatos pariter instruxit : subditis , exemplum obedientiae reliquit; praelatis vero, instantiam et soUicitudinem docendi demonstravit , ut quotieS audierint aliquem mortuum in anima, statim adesse studeant. » Unde et Chrysostomus : « Cum rogatus esSet Dominus a Jairo, ut ad susci» tandam nliam ipskte vehiret , non moifctur; sed statim surgens, secuttts est eum. Quo exemplo docuit nos impigros in omni opere Dei esse debere.
Et dum Jesus pergeret, ecce mulier, haemorrhoica, a morbo quem patiebatur sic dicta, ab annis duodecim sanguinis fluxum passa, qua? in medicos erogaverat omnem substantiam suam, accessit retro, et a tergo, tum quia verecundabatur de infirmitate foetida, tum quia secundum Legem reputabatur immunda, tum quia ante faciem non potuisset accedere prae turba, tum propter mysterium confusionis , quam debet homo habere pro culpa sua. Et tetigit fimbriam vestimenti ejus, non solum tactu corporali, sed et devotione fidei, in quo laudanda est humilitas ejus, quia indignam se reputabat tangere pedes Domini, vel plemtudinem vestimenti. Habebat enlm Christas fimbfias juxta consuetudinem Judaeorum, secundum Legis praeceptum. Eccequianon habebatDominus janitores, vel stipatores, seu massertos, nec aliquem qui comprimentes eum verberaret, et ideo libere mulier accedit, et turbae comprimunt. Ubi Remigius : « In quo fides ejus admiranda est, quia desperans de salute medicorum, in quos stta erogaverat, intellexit coelestem adesse medicum, et in eo totam suam intentionem collocavit, et ideo salvari promeruit. » Unde Rdbanus . * « Docetmulier quantum sit corpus Christi, quod in fimbria tantam demonstravit esse virtutem.
Quid ergo nos sperare debemus, qui non solutn Corpus Dominicum contingimus, sed conficimus et sumimus? Illa quidem medicinam accepit eix vulnere ; vae illis quibus ipsa mediciffa tn vulnus conveftitur U Vicebat enim intra se> firmiter scilicet credendo :^Si tetigero tan* tum vestimentum ejus> xalva ab m* fiimitmte mea *ro ; non quia vestimenta t&liquam viftutem sanandi habebant^ sed quia per hoc dectaratur virtus iilorum, quoruai ^re- . DE HjEMORRHOICA, et arghisynagogi filia. stimenta sunt. Tangens autem, confestim est sanata a plaga sua; et est notabile quod accesslt , accedens dixit, dicens tetigit, tangens curationem accepit ; quia his tribus, scilicet : verbo, fide, et opere, omnis salus acquiritur.
Et cognoscens Jesus ex se exiisse virtutem , dixit : Quis me tetigit? Non quaerit ex ignorantia ut doceatur; sed ut mulier sanata confiteatur , et per confessionem appareat fides ejus , et a Christo commendetur, tum proptex mulieris meritum, per humilem confessionem , tum propter adstantium aedificationem , tum propter Dei laudem et glorificationem, tum propter spem Archisynagogi augendam, et ejus de sanatione filiae suae assecurationem. Et dicentibus discipulis quod turbae eum comprimerent , dixit : Tetigit me aliquis, nam et ego novi virtutem de me exiisse, id est effectum virtutis in curatione infirmitatis. Nam licet turbae, quae in ipsum prae devotione audiendi irruebant, eum comprimerent, et in tali pressura corporaliter tangerent ; non tamen tangebant eum cum tali devotione et fide, sicut ista mulier tetigerat; et de tali tactu singulariter Dominus quaerebat. Videns autem mulier quia non latuit, timens corde, et tremens corpore ad majestatem divinitatis, cujus virtutem in se experta fuit, venit et procidit ante pedes illius, ac causam tactus et sanationem, coram omni populo indicavit , confitendo veritatem de quantitate et prolixitate infirmitatis et de perceptione integrae sanitatis ; hoc enim Dominus sciri voluit , ad laudem Dei , et aliorum utilitatem. Sed quaerit Chrysostomus, quare ipsam manifestat Deus cum ipsa latenter acceaserit ? Et respondena, ponit ad hoc sex rationes : prima est ut mulier sanguinaria Christum tangens, non haberet inde conscientiae remorsum ; secunda, ut mulierem emendet, quoniam aestimabat hoc latere Christum ; tertia , ut fidem ejua ostendat omnibus, ad exemplar celeriter credendi ; quarta, ut monstraret se cognitorem omnium ; quinta, ut ostendat quod ut Deus sistit sanguinis fluxura ; sexta, ut; in fidem dirigat Archisynagogura.
At JeSUS CO«versus et videns eam, id est approbans ipsius fidem, dixit illi : Confide, filia, fides tua te salvam fecit, id est hanc tibi salutem meruit. Cum enim operatio miraculosa sit supra naturam, fidei attribuit eam, eo quod fide6 est de his quae sunt supra naruram. Ubi Hieronymus : a Non autem dixit, quia fides tua te salvam factura est, sed salvam feciU Quasi diceret : In eo quod credidisti, jara salva facta es. » Ubi et Chrysostomus : « Quia formidolosa erat haec mulier, propter hoc ait ; Confide, et flliam eam dicit. Filiam vero vocat sanatam, fidei ratione : fides enim Christi Dei filiationem praestat. » Notandum etiam quod Dominus non dixit, ego sanavi te* sedfides tua, ut vitandam ostentationem doceat, et meritum fidei extollat. Unde, secundum eumdem Chrysostomum, Dominus ait, quo4 fides sua ipsam sanaverat, nolens suae virtuti sed fidei ejus sanitatis beneficium arrogare, docens per hoc in virtuosis actibus nostris, non nostram, sed Dei laudem, quaerere debere et praedicare. Et addidit Dominus : Vade in pace, quae scilicet prius eras in perturbatione, propter longam infirmitatem tuam corporalem.
Ubi Chrysostomus : « Dicit autem ei : Vade in pace, mittens in finem bonorum, in pace PRIMjE partis caput xlix. cnim Deus habitat, ut cognoscat, quod non solum corpore curata est, sed etiam a causis corporalis passionis, id est peccatis, mutata. Et salva facta est mulier ex illa hora.» Ubi Glossa : <c Intelligendum est ex illa hora, ex qua tetigit fimbriam, non ex illa hora, ex qua Jesus conversus est ad eam ; jam enim salva facta erat, ut ex verbis Domini perpendi potest. » 5 Qu. fi ? — Ex verbis Ambrosii quibusdara videtur quod haec mulier Martha fuerit; quae in quodam sermone, inter beneficia Christi quae enumerat, sic dicit : Dum largum sanguinis fluxum siccavit in Martha, dum daemones expulit de Maria, dum corpus redivivi spiritus calore constrinxit in Lazaro. Sed ex istis verbis Ambrosii , bene habetur , quod Martha fuerit a Christo curata a fluxu sanguinis ; quod autem Martha fuerit haec mulier de qua hic agitur, non habetur ex verbis illis ; et quod haec mulier non fuerit Martha, ex hoc videtur, quia de hac muliere dicitur quod omnem substantiam suam in medicos erogaverat; Martha autem dives erat.
Hoc etiam patet per Eusebium, qui dicit hanc mulierem fuisse quamdam Caesareae Philippi civem. Nam, secundum eum, mulier haemorrhoica, postquam sanata est, fecit in Caesarea Philippi, unde oriunda est, statuam aeneam, in curia sua fieri, ad imaginem Christi, cum fimbriis vestimenti ; ipsamque imaginem in magna reverentia habebat, et devote adorabat. Fecit et ex opposito imaginem suam , flexis genibus , et manibus junctis ac cancellatis, quasi precaretur et supplicaret, versus quam imaginem Chrisli manum extendebat. Contigit autem quod subtus imaginem Christi, crevit herba quaedam, nuliius efficaciae et virtutis, quae cum fimbriam attingebat, tantae virtutis erat, quod omnes infirmitates sanabat. Iterum dicit Hieronymus, quod Julianus Apostata, cum cognovisset quod in Caesarea Philippi esset simulacrum, quod scilicet sanguinis liberata profluvio femina fecerat, eo deposito, suam imaginem ibi collocavit, quae fulminis ictu fracta est.
Hic habes quoddam valde notabile, ad humiiitatis custodiam, sicut Bernardus hoc modo introducit, dicens : <c Quilibet Domino perfecte serviens potest appellari fimbria, quasi ultima pars vestimenti Domini, propter suam humilem reputationem. Qui ergo ad tantum statum pervenerit, quod sciat se a Domino exaudiri in liberandis infirmis, vel aliis miraculis, non extollatur propterea ; quia non ipse, sed Dominus facit. Quamvis enim haec mulier tangeret fimbriam, ad cujus tactum se liberari confidebat, et sic contigit, non tamen a fimbria, sed a Domino virtus liberationis exivit. Et propterea ipse dixit : Sensi de me virtutem exiisse; nota igitur hoc bene, et nihil boni tibi in perpetuum attribuas, quia totum est a Domino.
Allegorice mulier sanguine fluens, sed a Domino curata, est Ecclesia de Gentibus congregata, quae foedata fuit sanguinis martyrum eftusione, et idololatriae pollutione , et his quae carnis et sanguinis geruntur delectatione. Quae et fimbriam vestimenti Christi tetigit, quando fidem Incarnationis Christi credidit : humanitas enim vestimentum divinitatis est Christo. De quo dicitur quod in similitudinem hominum factus est, et habitu inventus ut homo, Et tunc a fluxu sanguinis sanata fuit, quia fiindere sanguinem catholicum destitit, et ab idoloIatriae , ac carnis delectatione , et sanguinis effusione sanata fuit, ac ab ejus pollutione cessavit. Pergente autem Domino ad filiam Archisynagogi, mulier morbosa sanata est, quia sic dispensata est salus humanis generis, ut primo aliqui ex Israel, deinde plenitudo Gentium intraret, et sic omnis Israel salvus fieret. Haemorrhoica autem sanata, Archisynagogi filia nuntiatur mortua, quia dum Gentilitas ad Deum convertitur, synagoga perfidiae et invidiae recte mortua nuntiatur. Hoc etiam significatum fuit in parabola de duobus filiis , quorum senior de conversione tristabatur junioris. Unde Ambrosius : a Quem autem putamus synagogae principem esse, nisi Legem, cujus contemplatione Dominus synagogam non penitus dereliquit > Ad hanc autem principis filiam, dum properat Dei Verbum, ut salvos faceret filios Israel, sancta Ecclesia est Gentibus congregata, quae inferiqrum lapsu criminum deperiebat, et paratam aliis fide praeripuit sanitatem. Quid autem sibi vult, quod haec principis Synagogae filia annorum duodecim moi^ebatur , et mulier ista fluxu sanguinis ab annis duodecim laborabat, nisi ut intelligatur quia quandiu synagoga viguit, laboravit Ecclesia?
» Unde et Hieronymus : a Nota ergo quod eo tempore haec mulier, id est Gentium populus , coeperat aegrotare , quo genus credidit Judaeorum ; nisi enim ex comparatione criminum, vitium non ostenditur. » Moraliter etiam per mulierem sanguinis fluxum patientem, persona peccatrix a longo tempore et de peccato in peccatum cadens , potest intelligi ; quae tamen remedium quaerit a Domino, dicens ei : Libera me de sanguinibus t Deus, Deus salutis mece. DomiARCHISYNAGOGI FILIA. 455 nus ergo quotidie mulierem sanguine fluentem sanat, dum animam diversis vitiis corruptam pergratiam curat.
Deinde, cum nuntii ad Archisynagogum venissent, dicentes ejus filiam jam esse mortuam, dixit Jesus Archisynagogo, eum ad fidem confortando : Noli timere, in fide dubitando, crede tantum, et salva erit a morte. Et cum venisset Jesus ad domum principis, invenit filiam ejus jam defunctam, et tibicines conductitios carmen lugubre canentes. Diversae enim melodiae diversas passiones excitant in homine : aliquae enim excitant audaciam, ut patet in tubis bellicis; aliquae devotionem, ut patet in canticis Ecclesiasticis; aliquae laetitiam, ut patet in diversis instrumentis musicis ; aliquae excitant fletum et devotam lamentationem, et talibus utebantur antiquitus in exsequiis magnarum personarum, ut provocaretur multitudo ad fletum et luctum. Christianis tamen non convenit tales habere, quia non debent inconsolabiter flere. Et invenit etiam turbam tumultuantem , in fletu , planctu et ulutatu multo, quod vocatur tumultus, quia inde causatur sonus confusus, ac etiam in praeparatione funeralium. Et dicebat : Noliie flere, non est mortua puella, id est in morte mansura, sed dormit, scilicet mihi, quia ita de facili possum eam suscitare, ut de somno excitare. Unde Beda : « Hominibus mortua erat, quia suscitare nequiverant; Deo dormiebat, in cujus dispositione et anima recepta vivebat et caro resuscitanda quiescebat. Unde mos apud Christianos obtinuit, quod mortui qui resurrecturi esse non dubitantur, dormientes vocentur.
» Et deridebant eum, putantes quod de dormitione somni diceret, et eam esse mortuam nesciret. Ecce deridetur in curiis principum, nec arguit eos, quia quanto major fuit derisio, tanto postea major virtutis ostentatio. Ubi Hieronymus : « Non autem erant digni, ut viderent mysterium resurgentis, qui resuscitantem indignis contumeliis irridebant. » Quamvis autem Dominus deridebatur ab eis, non tamen destitit ab inccepto. In quo instruuntur boni, quod cum deridentur a malis, non ideo debent desistere a bono inchoato.
et cum ejecisset turbam, scilicet Iamentantium, et tumultuantium, et deridenthim, qui propter incredulitatem et derisionem non erant digni videre miraculum, intravit cum patre et matre puellas, quos in fide confbrtare tanto miraculo disponebat, ac Petro, Jacobo, et Joanne, quos specialiter instrui volebat. Hos enim quinque voluit habere testes miraculi, ut in ore duorum parentum, vel trium Apostolorum, staret omne verbum. In hoc etiam facto ostendit nobis Dominus, quia blasphemis et irrisoribus non sunt revelanda mysteria, sed fidelibus qui honorant ea. Et, secundum Chrysostomum, in hoc quod turba icjlcitur, et discipuli solum in domum intrant, et neque hi omnes, erudit nos gloriam quae esf a multis, evitare. Unde et Theophilus : « Mortuam suscitans ejecit omnes, quasi nos docens absque inani gloria esse, et nihil ad demonstrationem facere; non enim humilis Christus ad ostentationem volebat altquki operari. » Praedictos autem tres discipulos tantum permisit Dominus interesse suae transfiguratio•ni, item agonis sui orationi, item huic suscitationi : primo, propter eoTum dignitatem ; secundo, propter ■signandam Trinitatis fidem ; tertio, propter testium numerum sufficientem ; quarto, propter omnium statuum Ecclesiae significationem et commendationem : per Petrum enim qui uxorem habuit, significantur conjugati; per Joannem qui virgo fiiit , virgines ; per Jacobum qui nescitur virgo fuisse, vel uxorem habulsse, ridualis status. Patrem autem et matrem puellae permisit intrare, propter eorum testificationem. Et tenens manum puellce^ ait illi : Talitha cumi, quod est interpretatum : Puella, tibi dico, surgt.
Per tactum et vocem eam curabat, ut ostenderet quod humanitas esset instrumentum divinitatis miracula facientis. Unde, secundum Chrysostomum, manus Jesu vivificativa existens mortuum corpus vivificat ; ' vox autem jacentem excitat. Et confestim surrexit puella, et am~ bulabat : quia nulla mora inter verbum ejus et factum erat. Ubi Cktysostomus : « In ambuhttione ejus non solum suscitata , sed et perfecte sanata ostenditur. » Et jussit illi dare manducare, ad demonstrandum quod eam vere suscitavit, et non ut videatur phantasma esse, quod factum est. testes > — Mystice, puella bi domo mortua 'est anima mortua per peccatum in cogitatione. Dicit autem Dominus, quod puella dormit, quia qui peccant in praesenti, adhuc per poenitentiam resuscitari possunt. JTibicines sunt daemones suggerentes, vel homines adulatores, qui fovent mortuam et tenent hic corpus in carnis Iascivia et solatiis , quae faciliter terminantur ad luctum inferni et desolationis.
Sed nos ad patriam tendentes, mortiferos sirenarum cantus surda aure praetereamus. Unde Ulysses fecit se ligari in malo navis, et aures suas obturavit, ne deceptus sirenarum cantibus in mare saltaret. Turbae lumultuan* tes sunt afFectiones, vel amici carnales ; derisores sunt seculares , vcl detractores. Turba ergo foris ejicitur, ut puella suscitetur, quia anima intus jacens mortua non resurgit, nisi prius afiectiones carnales et curae seculares de corde expeliantur : haec enim impediunt, ne quis ad considerationem su« salutis se colligat. Tibicines ejici debent, qui tanquam magistri in errorem animam demulcent. Derisores quoque ejiciendi sunt, quia contemnendi et minime curandi. Et tunc puella suscitatur, quando Christus domum cordis ingreditur, ducens secum Joannem gratiam, Petrum cognitionem, et Jacobum supplantationem vittorum. Qui vero a spirituali morte, scilicet a vitiis, resuscitatus fuerit', non solum a sordibus scelerum exsurgere, aed etiam in bonis ambulare et proficere debet ; et mox coelesti pane, scilicet verbo Dei, et sacramento aJLtaris satiari necesse habet.
Possunt autem hic notari tria, scilicet : peccatoris periculum in fiUa, id est anima moriente \ poenitentis remedium in principe, id est in Ecclesia Deum rogante; Creatoris, benencium, in Christo prQpitiante, Pericuium sic procedit : nam morti appropinquat, cum. detectabUe Ulicitum concipit; in extremis Jaborat, cum ad consensum accedit; sed moritur, cum consentit, et tunc opera sunt mo*> tificata. Remedium quaeritur, cum princeps ad Christum accedit credendo, adorat diligendo* Dominum appeUat metuendo. Beneficium datm % cuift Christus surgit preces exaudiendo, turbam ejicit peccata expellendo, vel impedientia removendo, domum intrat gratiam infundendo : prius enim ejicitur culpa, et gic ingreditur gratia. t — Et 8*1 insinuandum humilitatem, docens Dominus Jesua fugere ostentationem et inanem gloriam, pnxcepit parentibuSy ne alicui dicerent quod factum erat ; ostendens, ut dicit Gregorius, quod largitor bonorum est, non autem cupidus gloriae, datque totum, nihil recipiens. Et tamen exivit fama fuec in universam terram illam, scilicet provinciae Galilaeae, ad manifestandam miraculi magnitudinem et veritatem ubique. Prohibuit quidem Dominus jactantiam, non miraculi manifestationem , quia res ipsa se indicabat, et manifestam faciebat. Ac si diceret : Nolite gloriari in bonis operibus vestris, sicut nec ego in eis.
Ubi sciendum quod Christu* publicari prohibuit. opera miraculorum propter mundi honQrem, et laudes hominum, seu vanam gloriam; sed non ad glorificandum peum, et ad fidem probandam, propter quae Dominus miracuia faciebat, non prohibuit enarrare. Unde et parentes puellae praeceptum Domini servaverunt» propter humanum applausum , ipsum miracuhim non pubUcando; nec contra prohibitionem Dei fecerunt, hoc a4 Dei gloriam praedicando. Et similiter fecerunt duo a caecitate curati, de q^uibus mox aubjungitur, et plures alii, de quibus aMbisimile reperitur. ORATIO Domine Jesu Christe, adoro pedes misericordiae et veritatis tuae : deprecor te piissime, sana tactu gratiae tuae animam meam sanguinolentam, et peccatis variis maculatam. Resuscita eam a* morte voluntatis, propositique pessimi et occulti, ac restitue me Deo et Patri tuo, cui me filium inter coheredes tuos adoptasti. Ne memineris, bone Domine, justitiae tuae, adversus peccatorem tuum , neque irae adversus reum tuum ; sed memor esto benignitatis tuae erga creaturam tuam, et miserationis tuae erga miserum tuum, Domine Deus meus. Amen.
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