Chapter 9
Whenever you pray, speak these words
1. Jesus and his disciples came down from the hills and made their way towards the Sea of Galilee.
2. By the time they reached the plain, word had spread that Jesus and his disciples had been resting in the hills and they were met by a large crowd who had gathered to await them.
3. Although Jesus had not yet set foot in the holy city of Jerusalem, on hearing the good news of his teaching and the many miracles he had performed, citizens came from that city and all parts of Judea to seek him out.
4. Others had travelled from the gentile coastal towns of Tyre and Sidon, while some had come from as far afield as the Decapolis on the other side of the Jordan.
5. Many came to hear him preach, while others, sick with infirmities, hoped to be cured of their ills.
6. Jesus walked among the vast crowd and made whole several who were troubled by unclean spirits.
7. Many others waited patiently, hoping simply to touch his robe, as it had become clear for all to see that power and goodness came forth from Jesus and that he transmitted healing and strength to all those with whom he came into contact.
8. One of those in the crowd was a woman who had been afflicted with a continuous flow of blood for more than twelve years. She believed that if only she could touch his robe, she would be cured. As the crowd surrounded Jesus, she leant forward and touched the hem of his garment. Immediately she was cured of her disease.
9. Jesus stopped and said: Who touched me? The disciples could not understand what he meant, and reminded Jesus that he was surrounded by people on all sides.
10. Jesus again said: Who touched me?
11. The woman stepped forward because she feared Jesus would be angry that she had rendered him impure by her touch.
12. She fell on her knees, bowed her head and told him that it was she who had touched him.
13. Jesus said: Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
see
Mark 5:25–34;
Matt 9:20–22;
Luke 8:43–48
14
. This caused even more people to press in on him. When Jesus could no longer move, he gathered his disciples around him and, lifting his eyes to the heavens, began to address the vast multitude that had assembled to hear him preach.
15. Jesus said to them:
Blessed are you poor, for yours is the reigning presence of God as King.
Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep, for your time of joy will come.
Blessed are you who suffer and are exploited, for your reward will be in heaven.
Luke 6:20–22
16. As Jesus delivered these promises, a great uproar broke out among the throng, who began to believe that the long-awaited Messiah was among them.
17. Jesus waited for calm to return. He gazed into the crowd and became aware that a few among them were trying to stir the people into dissent, for they believed that such promises could only be made by God and not by someone they regarded as a sinner and a blasphemer. But they were outnumbered.
18. When a hush eventually fell over the gathering, Jesus continued to tell them of God’s promises: