Daily Readings - Mon Mar 24 2025
2 Kings
1Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.2Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.3She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.5"By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.6The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."7As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."9So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.10Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."11But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.13Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!"14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
Romans
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Luke
24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful stories that remind us of God's universal mercy and the boundless nature of His love.
First, in the story of Naaman, we see a man who, despite his high status, is humbled by leprosy. Through the faith of a young servant girl and the prophet Elisha, Naaman learns to trust in God's unexpected ways, leading to his healing. This story teaches us the importance of humility and obedience, showing that God's grace can come through unexpected means and is not limited to any particular group.
In the Gospel, Jesus faces rejection in His hometown, yet He uses this moment to highlight how God's mercy has often been directed to those outside the chosen people, as seen in the examples of Elijah and Elisha. This underscores the theme that God's love is inclusive, not confined by borders or status.
The second reading from Romans deepens this understanding, emphasizing that we are justified by faith and that God's love, demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice, is poured into our hearts. This love is not conditional; it is given even when we are still sinners, illustrating the depth of God's grace.
In our daily lives, these readings call us to trust in God's plan, even when it seems unconventional, and to embrace His universal love without boundaries. Let us approach life with humility, open to God's unexpected ways, and remember that His love is for everyone. May we reflect this love in our actions, trusting in His providence and sharing His mercy with all.