Many years ago I met a woman whose real name I did not know; I knew her by her nickname, Cat. Cat shuffled into the dorm where I worked the night shift. She greeted me and mumbled about a poem she had written that she wanted to read to me. Cat was born with cerebral palsy and with a brilliant mind. Her parents institutionalized and abandoned her as a child, assuming that she belonged in a facility for persons with intellectual disabilities because of her cerebral palsy. Years later, the staff realized her intellect and restored her independence. She became a ward of the state because she had nowhere to go.

When Cat, now in middle age, approached me that night, I first heard only gibberish. But as I listened more closely, I heard her beautiful, poetic words. She had a voice. I realized that I was in the presence of a wonderful soul trapped in a body devalued by others and our society. With determination and a deep faith in Jesus Christ, she was “set free” as her soul “stood up straight.” I too was transformed by having known this wonderful woman, who uttered words of inspiration to all who would listen.

The woman in today’s reading is among the most famous of the many unnamed women in the Bible. Jesus sets her free from her pain by seeing her. And though it is the sabbath, he does not let that barrier stop him from healing her. What self-imposed barriers do you carry that ail you? When Jesus calls you over, have you given him permission to lift these from you? Remember that you are set free to praise God by the one who offers you God’s overwhelming grace.