Angelus: faith is touching Jesus and receiving the grace that saves us

Vatican City, 28 June 2015 (VIS) – The resurrection of Christ that acts throughout history as the source of renewal and hope was the theme of the Pope's reflection during this Sunday's Angelus, in which which he commented on the two readings of the day's liturgy, the awakening after death of the daughter of one of the heads of the synagogue, and the healing of the bleeding woman.

In the first passage, Jesus is called by the father of the dead child, says “Do not fear, only believe” and, entering the house, he orders her to rise. The child awakens and begins to walk. “Here we see Jesus' absolute power over physical death, that for Him is like a slumber from which one can reawaken”.

In the second reading, Jesus heals a woman who has suffered bleeding for two years, an illness that in the cultural context of the time would have rendered her “impure” and obliged her to avoid all human contact, “as if she were condemned to a civil death”, the Pope explained. “This anonymous woman, in the midst of the crowd following Jesus, says to herself, 'If I touch even his garments, I will be made well'. And so it was: the need to be freed drives her to boldness and her faith 'seizes', as it were, the cure. Those who believe touch Jesus and draw from Him the Grace that saves. It saves our spiritual life and it saves us from many problems”.

“These two episodes – healing and resurrection – have a sole centre: faith. The message is clear, and can be summarised in a question: do we believe that Jesus can heal us and reawaken us from death? All the Gospel is written in the light of this faith: Jesus is resurrected, he conquers death, and by this, his victory, we too will rise again. … Christ's Resurrection acts in history as a source of renewal and hope. Whoever is desperate and tired, unto death, if he trusts in Jesus and His love, may begin to live again. Also starting out on a new life, changing one's life, is a way of rising again, of resuscitating. Faith is a force of life that gives fullness to our humanity; and he or she who believes in Christ must recognise this so that it may promote life in every situation, and enable everyone, especially the weakest, to experience God's love that liberates and saves”.

“Let us ask the Lord, by the intercession of Our Lady, for the gift of strong and courageous faith, that drives us to spread hope and life among our brethren”, concluded the bishop of Rome.