Sunday, March 3, 2024

04-MAR-'24, Monday of the Third Week of Lent


Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Lectionary: 237


Reading 1

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,

was highly esteemed and respected by his master,

for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.

But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.

Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel

a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife.

"If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,"

she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."

Naaman went and told his lord

just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.

"Go," said the king of Aram.

"I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."

So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,

six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.

To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:

"With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,

that you may cure him of his leprosy."


When he read the letter,

the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:

"Am I a god with power over life and death,

that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?

Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"

When Elisha, the man of God,

heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,

he sent word to the king:

"Why have you torn your garments?

Let him come to me and find out

that there is a prophet in Israel."


Naaman came with his horses and chariots

and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.

The prophet sent him the message:

"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,

and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."

But Naaman went away angry, saying,

"I thought that he would surely come out and stand there

to invoke the LORD his God,

and would move his hand over the spot,

and thus cure the leprosy.

Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,

better than all the waters of Israel?

Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?"

With this, he turned about in anger and left.


But his servants came up and reasoned with him.

"My father," they said,

"if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,

would you not have done it?

All the more now, since he said to you,

'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said."

So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times

at the word of the man of God.

His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.


He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.

On his arrival he stood before him and said,

"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,

except in Israel."


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?


As the hind longs for the running waters,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?


Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?


Send forth your light and your fidelity;

they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain,

to your dwelling-place.

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?


Then will I go in to the altar of God,

the God of my gladness and joy;

Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,

O God, my God!

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?


Verse Before the GospelSee Ps 130:5, 7

I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word;

with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption.


Gospel

Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:

“Amen, I say to you,

no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel

in the days of Elijah

when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,

but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

Again, there were many lepers in Israel

during the time of Elisha the prophet;

yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

When the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

They rose up, drove him out of the town,

and led him to the brow of the hill

on which their town had been built,

to hurl him down headlong.

But he passed through the midst of them and went away.


Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections


The Permissive Will of God


When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. Luke 4:28–30


One of the first places Jesus went to begin His public ministry was His own home town. After entering the Synagogue and reading from the Prophet Isaiah, Jesus proclaimed that the prophecy of Isaiah was now fulfilled in His very person. This caused His townspeople to be outraged at Him, thinking He was blaspheming. So they shockingly sought to immediately kill Jesus by driving Him out of their town to the brow of a hill off which they meant to throw Him. But then something fascinating happened. Jesus “passed through the midst of them and went away.”


The Father eventually permitted the grave evil of the death of His Son to take place, but only in His time. It’s unclear from this passage how Jesus was able to avoid being killed right then at the beginning of His ministry, but what’s important to know is that He was able to avoid this because it was not His time. The Father had more for Jesus to do before He would permit Him to offer His life freely for the salvation of the world.


This same reality is true for our own lives. God does permit evil to happen, at times, because of the irrevocable gift of free will. When people choose evil, God will allow them to proceed—but always with a caveat. The caveat is that God only permits evil to be inflicted upon others when that evil is able to be ultimately used for God’s glory and for some form of good. And it is only permitted in God’s time. If we do evil ourselves, choosing sin rather than the will of God, then the evil that we do will end in our own loss of grace. But when we are faithful to God and some external evil is imposed upon us by another, God permits this only when that evil can be redeemed and used for His glory.


The best example of this is, of course, the passion and death of Jesus. A far greater good came forth from that event than the evil itself. But it was only permitted by God when the time was right, in accord with God’s will.


Reflect, today, upon the glorious fact that any evil or any suffering inflicted upon you unjustly can end in the glory of God and the greater salvation of souls. No matter what you may suffer in life, if God permits it, then it is always possible for that suffering to share in the redeeming power of the Cross. Consider any suffering you have endured and embrace it freely, knowing that if God permitted it, then He certainly has some greater purpose in mind. Surrender that suffering over with the utmost confidence and trust and allow God to do glorious things through it.


Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body


THE FREEDOM OF SLAVERY


“So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” —2 Kings 5:14


Naaman was famous, for he was the commander of the victorious army of Aram (2 Kgs 5:1). Naaman was rich, for he easily gave away “ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments” (2 Kgs 5:5). Naaman was politically important, for he had access to the king of Aram and through him to the king of Israel (2 Kgs 5:4ff). However, Naaman was not healed from leprosy because he was famous, rich, and important. He was healed because he listened to a message from a little slave girl (2 Kgs 5:3) and from other slaves (2 Kgs 5:13). When Naaman humbled himself before his slaves and the prophet Elisha, he was exalted (Mt 23:12) and healed.


After Elisha refused to receive any gifts from Naaman in thanksgiving for his healing, Elisha’s slave, Gehazi, ran after Naaman (2 Kgs 5:20). Gehazi lied to Naaman by saying Elisha had changed his mind and would accept some gifts (2 Kgs 5:22). Elisha knew of Gehazi’s deception and declared: “ ‘The leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.’ And Gehazi left Elisha, a leper white as snow” (2 Kgs 5:27).


When a master humbles himself and becomes like a slave, he is healed. When a slave exalts himself and acts like a master, he is humbled.


“Be slaves of Christ the Lord” (Col 3:24).


Prayer:  “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me” according to Your word, Lord (Lk 1:38).


Promise:  “As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for You, O God.” —Ps 42:2


Praise:  St. Casimir, born a prince of Poland, was an ascetic, sleeping on the floor and wearing plain clothes. He is now the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania.


Reflection 3

By Fr. Higinio Rafael ROSOLEN IVE

(Cobourg, Ontario, Canada)


”No prophet is accepted in his own native place”

Today Jesus tells us in the Gospel that “no prophet is accepted in his own native place” (Lk 4:24). By making use of this proverb Jesus is introducing Himself as a prophet.


A "Prophet" is someone who speaks on behalf of another, he who carries someone else’s message. Among the Hebrews, the prophets were men sent by God to announce, whether with words or signs, the presence of God, the coming of the Messiah and the message of salvation, peace and hope.


Jesus is the Prophet par excellence, the long awaited Savior; in Him all prophecies are fulfilled. But, just as it did happen at the time of Elijah and Elisha, Jesus is not “well accepted” among His own, for those who are filled with anger “rose up, drove him out of the town” (Lk 4:29).


Because of our baptism each one of us is also called to be a prophet. Therefore:


1st. We should announce the Good News. To do so, as Pope Francis said, we have to listen to the Word with a sincere approach, to let it touch our own lives, to let it retrieve us, exhort us, mobilize us, because if we do not dedicate time to pray with that Word, then we shall indeed be a “false prophet”, a "”swindler” or an “empty charlatan”


2nd. To live by the Gospel. Again Pope Francis says: “We are not asked to be flawless, but to keep growing and wanting to grow as we advance along the path of the Gospel; our arms must never grow slack.” It is essential to be sure that God loves us, that Jesus Christ has saved us and that His love is forever.


3rd. As disciples of Jesus, we must be aware that just as Jesus experienced rejection, anger and being driven out; this will also be present on the horizon of our daily lives.


Let Mary, Queen of the prophets, guide us on our way.


Prayers

God of all wisdom, I know that You know all things and that all things can be used for Your glory and for the salvation of my soul. Help me to trust You, especially when I endure suffering in life. May I never despair when treated unjustly and may my hope always be in You and in Your power to redeem all things. Jesus, I trust in You.


Lord Jesus, teach me to love your ways that I may be quick to renounce sin and wilfulness in my life. Make me whole and clean again that I may delight to do your will.


Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy


Reflection 64: Hearing the Voice of God

When you are at church, do you listen?  Specifically, do you listen to the voice of God?  Often times we sit and listen to the homily and our mind wanders and we miss all or most of what was said.  Where does your mind wander?  The truth is that sometimes a wandering mind is from the Lord.  Sometimes there may be one thing said at Mass that our Lord then places on your heart to ponder.  Do not be afraid to let Jesus take you on a spiritual journey while at Mass or while alone in prayer.  He may often wish to speak a homily directly to your soul (See Diary #221).


Reflect, today, upon how well you reflect.  True prayerful reflection is not simply daydreaming.  It’s not distraction that leads us to obsess or worry about this thing or that.  Prayerful reflection is a way of letting God take hold of our imagination so as to lead us into His Truth.  He often desires to lead us into a particular word of Truth that we need to know at that time.  How well do you do this?  Ponder your prayerful pondering and next time you pray do not be afraid to let God take control.


Lord, I know You speak to me day and night.  Help me to hear Your sweet voice and to listen.  Help me to allow You to take control of my prayer and to direct me into all You have to say.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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