St. Veronica, The Woman with a Flow of Blood

St. Veronica

The Woman with a Flow of Blood

In the Gospels

Mark 5:25-34

A certain woman, who had an issue of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse, having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd, and touched his clothes. For she said, If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well. Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd, and asked, Who touched my clothes?

His disciples said to him, You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, Who touched me?

He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.

Matthew 9:20-22

Behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said within herself, If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.

But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour.

Luke 8:42-48

But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him. A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any, came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped. Jesus said, Who touched me?

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, Who touched me?

But Jesus said, Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me. When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. He said to her, Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

In the Synaxarion

July 12. The Memory of Saint VERONICA with the Issue of Blood, who was healed by Christ and who died in peace.^†

Saint Veronica came from Caesarea in Philippi (Paneas). She was healed by our Lord Jesus Christ of a flux of blood which had afficted her for long years (Matt. 9.20). In thanksgiving, she had a bronze statue struck, which represented Christ stretching out His hand to a woman kneeling before him. At His feet on the plinth, where this inscription was written: “To God, Saviour of the world,” a plant grew that was able to heal all sicknesses. Veronica placed this statue in front of her house, so that all who passed by might venerate it and keep present in their hearts the memory of its Model, the God-Man.^‡ Having passed the rest of her life in holiness and in a manner pleasing to God, she fell asleep in peace, to rejoice before the Face of the Lord forever.

† According to a Latin tradition, Saint Veronica was the woman who dried the Lord's bloodstained Face as He carried His Cross to Golgotha. The Lord's appearance remained imprinted on the linen, which thus became considered to be one of the images 'not made with hands'. But, according to an ancient apocryphal writing, The Acts of Pilate, Veronica (Berenice) was rather the woman with the issue of blood, who, possessing a portrait of Christ, presented it to Emperor Tiberius in Rome. On his death, the precious portrait was given to St Clement.