3rd Week of Lent, Monday, Mar 8
2 Kings 5:1-15 / Luke 4:24-30
Jesus repeats an old teaching: God is the God of all people.
Sometimes people become so preoccupied with their own problems that they tend to see only themselves. Their vision shrinks and they forget that there are other people in the world.
That happened to the Jewish nation, as a whole, in the years after the return from exile. The Jews turned in upon themselves and, in the process, made God over into their own image and likeness. They made him into a nationalistic God who had eyes only for his Chosen People.
Of course, prophets like Elijah and Elisha had warned the nation earlier about this tendency, but it's something that needs to be repeated. That's what Jesus does in today's gospel. He repeats an old teaching that the people didn't want to hear.
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Do we tend to let our personal problems blind us to other people's bigger problems? "We see things not as they are, but as we are." H. M. Tomlinson
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Today’s liturgy thinks especially of converts who are baptized and immersed into the baptismal water. Are conversion and missionary action still valid? Why be concerned about unknown, distant peoples? – Elisha cured the pagan officer from Damascus, Syria, and the man found both healing and faith. Jesus, not accepted as a prophet in his own town, says that salvation will be offered to pagans. That doesn't mean that the missionary will not be always understood and welcomed in the missions...
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There is one day in our lives which we usually consider pretty important, and that is our birthday. It would be a very rare person indeed who would not know the date of his own birth or who would not celebrate that day. As we grow older, we may not be too eager to count how many birthdays we have had, but we still like to be greeted with a "happy birthday" from relatives and friends.
Actually, we have two birthdays, one when we were born of our parents, and one when we were born of God in baptism. The event related in the first lesson puts us in mind of the sacrament of baptism. Naaman suffered from leprosy. He was asked to do a simple thing by Elisha, to wash seven times in the water of the Jordan. After some reluctance he complied, and, as we saw, he was cured of his leprosy. It was a great day for Naaman, one he never forgot.
Our baptism was a very simple ceremony: a little water was poured over our heads, but it was a great day for us. Not only were we cured of the leprosy of sin, but more importantly God gave us a share in his divine life, and thereby made us his children. It was indeed our spiritual birthday.
It does not really matter too much, I suppose, if we do not know the actual day when we were baptized, but certainly should celebrate the day with great joy and happiness. As you know, during Lent there is an emphasis on baptism, an emphasis which reaches its climax in the renewal of our baptism on Holy Saturday. Each time, however, that we come into church we should reflect on our baptism as we take holy water at the font, a symbol of baptism. Then as we see others in the church, we should realize that we are all here in our Father's home, brothers and sisters of one another because of our spiritual birth from a common Father in baptism. Indeed, the day of our baptism was a great day for us, one we should never forget.
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No Prophet Is Accepted in His Native Place: Objectively, Jesus is the most loveable person there ever was or will be. But he encountered many people, even those from his hometown, who rejected him. In this passage, they rejected Jesus because he was too familiar. They assumed they knew him well, and their partial knowledge blinded them to the greater truth that the Messiah was in their midst. It is pride that prompts us to jump to conclusions and judge rashly. The Messiah is in our midst every day. May our hearts be open and docile to his promptings, not hardened by our pride.
They Rose up and Drove Him Out: The movement of the angry mob of people in the synagogue is a paradigm for sin—an image of what happens in our lives every time we turn away from God due to our own pride, vanity, or sensuality. We can get swept up by the “angry mob” (temptation) and purposely push Jesus away by sinning outright, or we might simply “go along with the crowd” and reject Jesus by our complacency or distraction. To keep grace alive in our souls, we have to resist the lure of angry mobs. We have to set ourselves apart from much of contemporary thought and take the narrow path his disciples took, sometimes even lamenting, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
They Seek to Hurl Him Down Headlong: Did Jesus have the power to escape his enemies whenever he wanted to? He most certainly did. In this passage, Jesus “passed through the midst” of those intent on killing him, completely in control of his destiny. John, whose writing emphasizes Jesus’ divinity, told us also that when it was his time to give his life during his Passion, Jesus did so voluntarily: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:18). Jesus, in His humanity, suffered and died, but in his divinity made his sacrificial offering for us from the depths of his heart, of his own holy will.
Encountering Christ:
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, help me to enter into the mystery of your Passion, the greatest mystery of your life and of history, through the words of today’s Gospel. You were utterly rejected by many of those you came to save. You came to love humanity, and they rose up in hatred. You came because your anger with our sin was obliterated by your mercy, but you faced only unforgiving anger from those who heard your words. Help me to answer you differently, full of love and humility, seeking to follow you.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take a moment to gaze on the crucifix and pray, offering my love to you.
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Today’s liturgy thinks especially of converts who are baptized and immersed into the baptismal water. Are conversion and missionary action still valid? Why be concerned about unknown, distant peoples? – Elisha cured the pagan officer from Damascus, Syria, and the man found both healing and faith. Jesus, not accepted as a prophet in his own town, says that salvation will be offered to pagans. That doesn't mean that the missionary will not be always understood and welcomed in the missions...
Opening Prayer
Lord God, our Father,
you want all people to be saved
through faith in Jesus Christ, your Son.
May Christians not practice
spiritual selfishness and clannishness
but may their faith mean so much to them
that they want to share it with others,
that your Son may be known and loved everywhere,
for he is the Lord of all forever.
– For those who are preparing for baptism, that the Word of God may become their guide in life and that baptism may renew them, we pray:
– For the Christian community, that they may prepare a hearty welcome and support for the newly baptized, we pray:
– For those who have joined us in the faith, that they may experience us as joyful, redeemed people who know how to love and to serve, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
may we have enough faith
to welcome your Son among us
in these simple signs of bread and wine.
May we and people everywhere
accept that you come to us all
with a human approach
through the humanity of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God, Father of all people everywhere, strengthen with your word and your body and blood all those who have left their country and culture to bring your Good News to different countries and other cultures. May they humbly serve their new people, receive their love and gifts of mind and heart, and help the local Church to grow in Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
Blessing
We should also think during Lent the converts who will be accepted into the Church through baptism, the great Lenten sacrament. It is not merely that individuals join us in the Church, but that the community of the Church must be ready to receive these people and to make them feel at home. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
