Sometimes we hear a sad song,  or we read a sad book,  or we see a film with a sad ending;  or sometimes we are just sad in our own hearts.  Sadness is something very real;  it can be for something small,  it can last a short time or it can be a great sadness,  that lasts for many years, or for a lifetime.  In todays gospel we read about a woman who is very sad,  she has an incurable sickness.  She is not only sick, she is also rejected by her own people,  she is humiliated, she is poor,  and she is alone.  Because she is considered impure and infectious,  according to the law, she  knows that she cannot touch Jesus,  and Jesus cannot touch her. She approaches Jesus and tries to touch the hem of his garment;  she knows that she is not worthy to touch his hand.  What she is not aware of is that Jesus knows she is there.  She cannot imagine how much he loves her, and how much he wants to cure her. He is drawing her towards himself, and he cures her and her life is changed.  She is cured, she can go home she is no longer humiliated, no longer rejected, no longer alone. Sometimes we can find ourselves in the heart of that woman.  Maybe there is some great worry, maybe we have to live with shame and embrassment,  maybe our life has taken a turn that was unexected,  and we are stuggling to survvie,  and we don’t know where to go.  At moments like this, we should never forget that Jesus is with us.  Before we look for him he is looking for us.  Before we can tell him our problem, he knows it and he understands our situation,  and he wants to help.  All we have to do is to try to touch the hem of his garment, to open our hearts,  to say, ‘Jesus: I’m in touble, I need help’.  He may not answer our prayer in that moment or in the way that we would like. Just remember He will always give us two things; he will give us light to find our way even in the darkest night,  and second of all he will give us courage, to continue in spite of the pain and difficulties.  With Jesus we are never alone. Let rememeber also even if we are not sad there are many people out there who are sad and finding it challenging to cope with everything; like Jesus we also can be life givers and Jesus con work these small miracles through you and through me.