“Who Touched Me?”

 

For the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Lv 25). The woman displays bold faith by approaching both Christ and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd, potentially defiling all of them and subjecting herself to ridicule.

“Who touched Me?” does not simply mean a physical touch, but rather, “Who touched me in faith?” Just as “the temple sanctifies the gold” (Mt 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ works through even His garment. To touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him. In the Church, we touch Christ through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc. When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received.

Jesus calls the woman forward both to take away her fear and trembling and to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news of his daughter's death.