MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - 2022

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word,
because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption.PS 129:5, 7

KINGS 5:1-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Many of us are like Naaman the leper. We are filled with conceit and mistakenly believe that we can bribe You to receive Your favors. 

Despite the fact that Naaman was a pagan we are told that it was the Lord who blessed him and gave him success in battle. Too often we put You in a box and put limitations by our narrow-minded thinking on what we believe You ought and ought not to do.

Despite all his successes and the high rank he held in his king's court, he was unable to enjoy them because of his affliction. A little slave girl from Israel who had not forgotten her heritage, the power of the God she served, and the prophet of God, Elisha was to be the means through which Naaman would be healed.

Laden with gifts he goes to meet the king of Israel hoping to buy his healing. There is no price we can pay for the forgiveness of our sins - we could not afford it but it is given to us gratis. The king of Israel knew that he had no power to do what Naaman demanded and despaired. But Elisha reminded him that God could do the impossible and send Naaman to him. Naaman arrived with all pomp and circumstance to the door of Elisha only to receive a messenger from the prophet to say to him, ‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.’

Naaman was infuriated that he was not accorded the honor he believed was his due. It took the wisdom of his servants to remind him that he would gladly have done something difficult that was asked of him. But all he was actually required to do was so simple and he would be healed.  

How many of us are too arrogant, too conceited to stoop in humility and confess our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All it takes is a humble contrite heart to wash away all our sins and be forgiven completely. His servants convinced him to do as he was told, “Bathe, and you will become clean.” He obeyed, immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child.

Thank You, Beloved, that God does not demand anything difficult in order to be forgiven of our sins no matter how many and how grave. All it takes is to go to a priest and just honestly confess our sins and in Your Name, we receive absolution and are made whole once more.