Daily Readings - Mon Mar 13 2023
2 Kings
1Naaman, the leader of the military of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man with his lord. For through him the Lord gave salvation to Syria. And he was a strong and rich man, but a leper2Now robbers had gone out from Syria, and they had led away captive, from the land of Israel, a little girl. And she was in the service of the wife of Naaman3And she said to her lady: "I wish that my lord had been with the prophet who is in Samaria. Certainly, he would have cured him of the leprosy that he has.4And so, Naaman entered to his lord, and he reported to him, saying: "The girl from the land of Israel spoke in such a manner.5And the king of Syria said to him, "Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." And when he had set out, he had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand gold coins, and ten changes of fine clothing6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: "When you will receive this letter, know that I have sent to you my servant, Naaman, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.7And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his garments, and he said: "Am I God, so that I could take or give life, or so that this man would send to me to cure a man from his leprosy? Take notice and see that he is seeking occasions against me.8And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, specifically, that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent to him, saying: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.9Therefore, Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots, and he stood at the door of the house of Elisha10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will receive health, and you will be clean.11And becoming angry, Naaman went away, saying: "I thought that he would have come out to me, and, standing, would have invoked the name of the Lord, his God, and that he would have touched the place of the leprosy with his hand, and so have healed me12Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, so that I might wash in them and be cleansed?" But then, after he had turned himself away and was leaving with indignation13his servants approached him, and they said to him: "If the prophet had told you, father, to do something great, certainly you ought to have done it. How much more so, now that he has said to you: ‘Wash, and you will be clean?’ 14So he descended and washed in the Jordan seven times, in accord with the word of the man of God. And his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child. And he was made clean15And returning to the man of God, with his entire retinue, he arrived, and stood before him, and he said: "Truly, I know there is no other God, in all the earth, except in Israel. And so I beg you to accept a blessing from your servant.
Luke
24Then he said: "Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country25In truth, I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, when a great famine had occurred throughout the entire land26And to none of these was Elijah sent, except to Zarephath of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow27And there were many lepers in Israel under the prophet Elisha. And none of these was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.28And all those in the synagogue, upon hearing these things, were filled with anger29And they rose up and drove him beyond the city. And they brought him all the way to the edge of the mount, upon which their city had been built, so that they might thrown him down violently30But passing through their midst, he went away
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter stories that highlight the universal nature of God's grace and the challenges of faith. The first reading from 2 Kings tells the story of Naaman, a Syrian military leader afflicted with leprosy, who seeks healing through the prophet Elisha. Despite initial hesitation and doubt, Naaman humbles himself, follows Elisha's instructions, and is miraculously healed. This story underscores the themes of faith, humility, and the unexpected ways God works through His prophets.
The Gospel from Luke finds Jesus facing rejection in His hometown. He uses the examples of Elijah and Elisha to illustrate how prophets are often not accepted by their own people. Elijah helped a widow in Sidon, and Elisha healed Naaman, a Syrian, rather than the lepers in Israel. This teaches us that God's grace is not confined to one group but is offered to all. The people's anger and attempt to reject Jesus mirror the broader human tendency to resist God's message when it challenges our assumptions.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own openness to God's unexpected ways. Like Naaman, we may face moments of doubt or hesitation when called to trust in God's providence. Similarly, like the people in the synagogue, we might resist messages that challenge our comfort or assumptions. The moral lesson here is to trust in God's providence, remain humble, and recognize that His grace is available to all. Let us embrace this universal call and allow God's healing and love to transform our lives.