Praying With Scripture: The Hemorrhaging Woman
“Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction” (Mark 5:34).
It was a little after 2:30 in the morning as we drove to the hospital. It was the second time in 48 hours that we had been there, and this time, I was scared. We prayed the Rosary as we drove the 20 minutes there, and my internal prayer was, “Let our baby be OK … let our baby be OK.” I was experiencing heavy bleeding once again and was worried we were losing our baby.
The next few days and nights were a blur of ultrasounds, needles, tubes, and IV monitors. The hours and minutes stretched, and still no one could place the cause of the bleeding. We found out that our baby was, in fact, safe. His heartbeat was strong, but everyone was worried the bleeding would occur again.
My husband was my rock during that time, and I am forever grateful to the myriad family members, friends, and strangers who prayerfully interceded for us the five days we were in the hospital.
While there, a priest I know called and prayed with us and encouraged me to pray with the story of the hemorrhaging woman. Days later, when I was discharged from the hospital and back at home on bed rest, I began praying with the story of her life.
The Hemorrhaging Woman
“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.’ Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction” (Mark 5:25-29).
Jesus noticed that power left him and asked who touched him. She fearfully stepped forward, fell before him, and told him everything. “He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction’” (Mark 5:34).
That morning, I entered the scene next to her. I felt the heat of the late morning sun and was overwhelmed by the noise and dust. I was at her side as she hesitated to approach Jesus. The crowds were eagerly rushing to touch Jesus and were pushing us at all sides. I felt stifled by the pressure and sensed her anxiousness to get closer to him, as we were still several feet away.
With a burst of courage, I saw her rush forward and touch Jesus’ tassel. I knew I should have gone with her. I, too, needed healing, but I stood back. As I watched her, I became envious of her faith and trust in him. The moment she touched his garment, I knew everything was different.
In my meditation, after she was healed, she turned around and beckoned to me to do the same—to reach out and touch him. I shook my head “no.” Everything in me resisted.
Why did I not want to be healed?
I was afraid. I was afraid of being disappointed. I was afraid of asking and hearing “no,” and I did not want to face that rejection. Yet, I could not stand the state I was in. I wanted my bleeding to stop and never come back. I wanted the fear and the anxiety over the viability of our child’s life to go away. I wanted my joy back.
And so, looking at her, asking for her intercession, I gathered what little courage I had and ran to Jesus. I ran and I grasped at his tassel and I begged him from the core of my being to heal me. I cried out from the depths of my anguish and asked that he stop the bleeding and keep our child safe. I sobbed alone in our room—but alone with him.
I cannot say that in that very instant, like the woman, I felt that I was healed of my affliction. Even days later, I could not pinpoint a change. However, after that moment of rawness and boldness with Jesus, I felt a certain peace that has not left me.
In that moment, I felt seen and loved by the Lord. I had been honest with him and had taken the risk to ask for what I needed. Did he not say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)?
It has been several months since that last hospital visit, and our baby continues to grow and develop. Each day continues to be an act of faith, but God continues to remain faithful. I have not experienced further bleeding, and I feel stronger and healthier each day. Our doctor considers it a miracle how positively things have progressed, and so do we. I truly believe it is due to the many people praying for us both on earth and in Heaven.
I share this experience to shed some light on the power of praying with sacred Scripture. The stories that are told in those pages are not static words of people 2,000 years ago with no relevance to us. They are the stories of our ancestors, our history.
St. Ignatius of Loyola and Contemplative Prayer
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish priest who founded the Jesuit order in the 16th century. He is well known for his spiritual exercises and instruction on the discernment of spirits. In his spiritual exercises, he encouraged a form of imaginative prayer called contemplative prayer, where you enter into a Scripture passage using your imagination, letting the scene unfold.
Father Joe Laramie, SJ, shares Ignatius’ steps for how to enter into contemplative prayer, paraphrased here:
Pray. Ask the Lord for a specific grace (e.g., to know him more, for healing, etc.).
Read the Gospel passage.
Imagine the scene overall: Take a “wide shot” of the scene.
Visualize the people involved. Use your imagination to “zoom in” on the people.
Be aware of your five senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching) and the faces and emotions of the people around you.
Place yourself in the scene.
Notice what is happening in your heart as you watch this scene take place.
Listen and watch what is being said and done by the people there.
Speak. Have a conversation with Jesus about what is happening in your heart. Tell him your concerns, and ask for advice or for what you need.
Review the time of prayer, and close with a familiar prayer (e.g., the Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.)
Resources
If this is your first time engaging in this type of prayer, some Gospel passages to start with are the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6: 34-44) or the healing of man born blind (John 9:1-41).
Alternatively, if you prefer to be guided, the Pray as You Go website and app can guide you through the process using the daily Mass readings.
May you experience God’s presence and healing as you engage in this form of imaginative prayer.
Valentina Imhoff, MBA is a career coach helping women encounter God through their work. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and has 10 years of experience in manufacturing, dental research, state government, and people analytics. In addition to coaching, she facilitates online courses with Encounter Ministries and does part-time recruiting. When she isn’t working, you can find her snuggling on the couch with her husband, a good book and their crazy cat. You can connect with her at fiatcareercoaching.com.