Readings for Monday of the Third Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Kings 5:1-15ab
This story of the conversion of Naaman through Elisha’s office as Prophet has some interesting historical and ritual material. First, it is ironic that the King of Aram, which was an antagonist of Israel, would send one of their key people to Israel. That is why the King of Israel tore his garments, assuming the unreasonable request was made in order to provide a reason for physical hostilities.
Next we see Elisha not coming out of his house to instruct Naaman, but sending word to him. He did so because to come into the presence of one with leprosy would have caused him ritual impurity. Clearly Naaman did not know this, since he complained about it. Finally, the Jordan River, from a hygienic perspective, is not as good as the clear springs of Damascus. It is at the best of times muddy. The requirement that Naaman plunge himself into the water seven times is significant in that the number seven is, in Hebrew numerology, the perfect number symbolic of completeness. The healing accomplished was to bring Naaman to confess there is no God but God (in Israel).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
Psalms 42 and 43 are hymns of praise and express longing for God’s presence. The use of the deer (hind) longing for water links nicely back to the reading from Kings where water and the allusion to Baptism was used to bring belief out of unbelief.
Gospel Luke 4:24-30
The Gospel passage today places Jesus at his home town speaking in the synagogue. The people there were questioning his authority since they knew him as a child and knew his family. What we see here is his response to their questioning his status and authority.
We understand why the people were upset when we consider that, in his analogy explaining why he could accomplish no works from God, he used Elijah going to a widow in Sidon (not Israel) and Elisha curing Naaman (a Syrian not an Israelite). This would have placed Jesus on a par with the great Prophets, blasphemy in the eyes of his old neighbors. Perhaps even more upsetting to the people would have been that their God would not reveal himself because of their lack of faith.
Reflection:
What guidance shall we take away from our scripture today? Clearly, the story from Kings of Naaman being cured through the intersession of Elisha links us directly to Jesus in Luke, challenging the people in his hometown synagogue. And the story there tells us that Jesus was rejected, not because the people did not know who he was, they knew him too well.
For people who delve deeply into scripture there is a clear warning here. When we break things down too far we easily forget that the whole is something totally holy while the parts may seem ordinary. Perhaps that is the lesson for all of us. Try this; let’s take a few words and define them.
And: conjunction (used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases, or clauses)
Body: noun, the physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant, living or dead.
Eat: “to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment”
Is: verb, to exist or live
My: pronoun, the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself.
Take: “to get into one's hold or possession by voluntary action”
This: pronoun (used to indicate a person, thing, idea, state, event, time, or remark)”
Taken as their definitions describe them they are words, pieces of grammar, ordinary and used in many contexts and circumstances. However, when they are arranged in a certain order and under certain circumstances they take on an entirely different significance; “Take this and eat, this is my body.”
That same message speaks to faith in general. Some time back there was a book on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was written by a notable atheist scientist and titled “God, the Failed Hypothesis” It is unfortunate but true that some scientists who delve so deeply in to the physical world, loose the wonder and cannot understand the miracle of what they study.
There is another deeper truth as well. Faith, a free and unmerited gift of the Father provides a foundation for understanding. Without faith, the extraordinary may seem confusing and evidence of God’s involvement in our lives is hidden. Faith itself provides us with confidence and confidence allows the miracle to take place. Like the child learning to ride a bicycle with their father’s help. At some point the father lets go without the child’s knowledge and the child continues to ride. But when the child looks back and sees that the father is no longer holding them up, they fall. We must know that the Father is always holding us up or we will fall.
It is a good lesson for all of us. Let us pray that we keep that innocent perspective that allows us to see God and through that sight, receive His blessing.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “The Prophet Elisha and Naaman” by Lambert Jacobsz, c. 1615
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Kings 5:1-15ab
This story of the conversion of Naaman through Elisha’s office as Prophet has some interesting historical and ritual material. First, it is ironic that the King of Aram, which was an antagonist of Israel, would send one of their key people to Israel. That is why the King of Israel tore his garments, assuming the unreasonable request was made in order to provide a reason for physical hostilities.
Next we see Elisha not coming out of his house to instruct Naaman, but sending word to him. He did so because to come into the presence of one with leprosy would have caused him ritual impurity. Clearly Naaman did not know this, since he complained about it. Finally, the Jordan River, from a hygienic perspective, is not as good as the clear springs of Damascus. It is at the best of times muddy. The requirement that Naaman plunge himself into the water seven times is significant in that the number seven is, in Hebrew numerology, the perfect number symbolic of completeness. The healing accomplished was to bring Naaman to confess there is no God but God (in Israel).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
Psalms 42 and 43 are hymns of praise and express longing for God’s presence. The use of the deer (hind) longing for water links nicely back to the reading from Kings where water and the allusion to Baptism was used to bring belief out of unbelief.
Gospel Luke 4:24-30
The Gospel passage today places Jesus at his home town speaking in the synagogue. The people there were questioning his authority since they knew him as a child and knew his family. What we see here is his response to their questioning his status and authority.
We understand why the people were upset when we consider that, in his analogy explaining why he could accomplish no works from God, he used Elijah going to a widow in Sidon (not Israel) and Elisha curing Naaman (a Syrian not an Israelite). This would have placed Jesus on a par with the great Prophets, blasphemy in the eyes of his old neighbors. Perhaps even more upsetting to the people would have been that their God would not reveal himself because of their lack of faith.
Reflection:
What guidance shall we take away from our scripture today? Clearly, the story from Kings of Naaman being cured through the intersession of Elisha links us directly to Jesus in Luke, challenging the people in his hometown synagogue. And the story there tells us that Jesus was rejected, not because the people did not know who he was, they knew him too well.
For people who delve deeply into scripture there is a clear warning here. When we break things down too far we easily forget that the whole is something totally holy while the parts may seem ordinary. Perhaps that is the lesson for all of us. Try this; let’s take a few words and define them.
And: conjunction (used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases, or clauses)
Body: noun, the physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant, living or dead.
Eat: “to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment”
Is: verb, to exist or live
My: pronoun, the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself.
Take: “to get into one's hold or possession by voluntary action”
This: pronoun (used to indicate a person, thing, idea, state, event, time, or remark)”
Taken as their definitions describe them they are words, pieces of grammar, ordinary and used in many contexts and circumstances. However, when they are arranged in a certain order and under certain circumstances they take on an entirely different significance; “Take this and eat, this is my body.”
That same message speaks to faith in general. Some time back there was a book on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was written by a notable atheist scientist and titled “God, the Failed Hypothesis” It is unfortunate but true that some scientists who delve so deeply in to the physical world, loose the wonder and cannot understand the miracle of what they study.
There is another deeper truth as well. Faith, a free and unmerited gift of the Father provides a foundation for understanding. Without faith, the extraordinary may seem confusing and evidence of God’s involvement in our lives is hidden. Faith itself provides us with confidence and confidence allows the miracle to take place. Like the child learning to ride a bicycle with their father’s help. At some point the father lets go without the child’s knowledge and the child continues to ride. But when the child looks back and sees that the father is no longer holding them up, they fall. We must know that the Father is always holding us up or we will fall.
It is a good lesson for all of us. Let us pray that we keep that innocent perspective that allows us to see God and through that sight, receive His blessing.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “The Prophet Elisha and Naaman” by Lambert Jacobsz, c. 1615
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