"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.” (2 Kings 5: 1 - 15).
Monday 24th March 2025 in the 3rd Week in Lent.
The healing of Naaman is one of the most dramatic miracles in the Bible.
Naaman had his own ideas about how he would be healed. His preconception and programming nearly deprived him of his cure. Our battles often are in our minds. Naaman did not know that:
. For God everything is possible. Everything is easy. “All things serve you.” (Psalm 119: 91)
· God’s ways are not our ways.
· God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
· God is master of means.
· God is the Lord of times and seasons.
When we compare Naaman’s behavior with that of the Centurion in Matthew 8: 5 – 13, we understand that faith is a simple and childlike trust in God’s word. The centurion knew that the power of God can work through words and through space. Naaman wanted something more tangible as in pagan practices, for example: incantations, rituals, sacred dances etc.
Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick are the 7 Sacraments of the Church instituted by the Lord Jesus. These 7 Sacraments are outward signs of inner grace (power). The Healing of Naaman the Leper foreshadows the Sacraments.
Naaman's bath at the River Jordan at first appeared to him as a ridiculous sign. But it accomplished a mighty healing. It foreshadows the Sacrament of Baptism.
Our faith contains our obedience.
God’s word is always effective and sufficient.
St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.
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