Matthew 9: 21-22
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.
I think there are times in our lives when we all struggle with destructive self talk. You know what I'm talking about, that conversation in your head that tells you that your not good enough or smart enough or pretty enough. We all know it's bad for us but we continue it anyway. Many years ago I came up with an idea to turn that negative conversation into a prayer instead. I went from "You know you always lose your temper, why even try" to "Lord help me keep from losing my temper." It wasn't easy and it took a lot of practice. But once I changed the conversation things in my life started changing.
The woman in today's gospel had an affliction for 12 years. In Mark's gospel it says she had suffered at the hands of doctors for many years. I'm sure by the time Jesus came around there was plenty of negative talk in her head. She could have thought "It's nice that people are being healed by Jesus but I have had this disease for 12 years, his healing is not for me." We get stuck in our circumstances and forget to change the conversation. We think there is no way out of whatever we are going through. But she was able to change the conversation. "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." How can you change the conversation in your life today? As Msgr. Cippel says at every celebration of the mass, "What healing can we ask Jesus for today?"
