Naaman the Leper

"And in the Prophet Elisha's time there were many suffering from virulent skin-diseases in Israel, but none of these were cured – only Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4: 27)

The story of Naaman the leper is one of my favorites in the Old Testament. I gleaned a number of lessons from it. Some of the lessons are:

God's sovereignty is shown in His reaching outside Israel to show His mercy and power. I see also the loving providence of God in planting the Israelite slave girl in the household of Naaman. Naaman's servants persuaded him to act as Elisha the Prophet had instructed him to do. That is, to plunge seven times into the River Jordan. In the act of the servants, I perceive elements of sincere and loving evangelization. How this contrasts from what we see today where the servants might have said: "it is not our business to convince him. He is old enough to know what he wants. We do not want to appear intolerant or coercive. He is a free man; he should decide for himself.' Finally, I see the act of plunging into the water as a type and shadow of the Sacrament, especially Baptism. The Sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace that affects what it signifies. It is a small material sign that affects mighty works. The simple act of plunging into the River Jordan brought Naaman the healing that no other means was able to give him.

God favors those who trust in His ways.

 

Simple Actions – Great Results

"Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason then, when he says to you, 'Bathe, and you will become clean." (2 Kings 5:13)

A Sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace, affecting what it signifies.

A sacramental can be described as a sacramentette, an external agent delivering the effects they promise.

Faith gives us the promise of God's peace, provision, protection, power, purpose and pardon. Faith also gives us the full effects promised by the Sacraments and sacramental.

Naaman's servants encouraged Naaman to have faith by their words.

God is pure spirit. He has left man some conditions and material agents through which we unleash his power on our behalf. Some of these are:

• Sacraments
  
• Sacramentals
  
• Bible
  
• Prayer
  
• Fasting
  
• Almsgiving
  

The Holy Spirit and Mission

"The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Set out at noon and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road." (Acts 8: 26)

The Holy Spirit is the power behind the missionary activity of the Church. He is the main principle of apostolic productivity and fruitfulness.

Spirit and Mission

Spirit and Evangelization

 

St. John of God

"Father, you gave St. John of God love and compassion for others. Grant hat by doing good for others we may be counted among the saints in your Kingdom …." (Opening Prayer in the Mass of St. John of God)

St. John of God is one of my patron saints. He is my patron saint for book/pamphlet distribution ministry. St. John of God after his conversion spent his life doing good for others in book distribution and tending the sick.

Spring of Water

"Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in heaven a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4: 13-14)

The water that Jesus gives is the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for this incomparable gift. Grant me the grace to be totally open to the Holy Spirit during this coming Lent.

" ¹ On that day, you will say: I give you thanks, O LORD; though you have been angry with me, your anger has abated, and you have consoled me.

2

God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.

3

With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation,

4

and say on that day: Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.

5

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth.

6

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!" (Isaiah 12)

 

Hope does not disappoint

"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans5: 5)

The Navarre Bible Commentary has the following commentary on the above text:

"The love which St. Paul speaks of here, at one and the same time, God's love for us – manifested in his sending the Holy Spirit – and the love which God places in our soul to enable us to love him. The Second Council of Orange, quoting St. Augustine, explains this as follows: "To love God is entirely a gift of God. He, without being loved, loves us and enabled us to love him. We were loved when we were still displeasing to him, so that we might be given something whereby we might please him. So it is that the Spirit of the Father and the Son, whom we love with the Father and the Son, pours charity into our hearts"

Meribah and Massah

"Oh that today you would hear his voice: 'Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works." (Psalm 95: 8-9)

Meribah and Massah are types and shadows of testing ground in the desert. Some spots in the desert are harsher than others. In your desert, transition experience, watch out for the Meribah and the Massah. No matter how tough the situation, listen to what God is saying to you. Harden not your heart.

Is the Lord with us or not?

"In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?' ….'Is the Lord in our midst or not?'" (Exodus 17: 3-7)

Why did the Lord allow the people to be very thirsty without providing them water? God was testing them. The desert experience was essentially a period of training and testing for the people. But at Massah and Meribah, the people turned the table and tested God. If God was genuinely with them, he would surely have provided them with water. We too tend to equate God's presence in our lives with his gifts. If I have everything I need here and now, it means that God is with me. But when I experience delays, disappointments and obstacles, I ask: "Is the Lord with me or not?" The message of Exodus 17: 3-7 is that God is always with his people in thick or thin.

Lent is a good time

"God of all compassion, Father of all goodness, to heal the wounds our sins and selfishness bring upon us, you bid us turn to fasting, prayer and sharing with our brothers. We acknowledge our sinfulness, our guilt is ever before us; when our weakness causes discouragement, let your compassion fill us with hope and lead us thru a Lent of repentance to the beauty of Easter Joy." (Mass Prayer in Lent)

The Church always sees God as Father of all goodness and God of compassion. Whenever I read of God's infinite mercy and goodness, it brings joy to my heart. At a time of great challenges, these perennial and healing truths are refuge and stronghold for me. Today is one such occasion. I am in great need to know intimately God's perfect love for me. Scripture says that "Perfect love drives out fear." I want God's perfect love for me to drive out the fear I feel on a project.

The above prayer promises that God heals the wounds that our sins and selfishness bring upon us by bidding us turn to fasting, prayer and sharing our resources with our brothers. Lent is a favorable time for doing this. During this holy period of self-denial, we are guaranteed that our prayers will be heard. Finally, we are told that God does not want us to be discouraged by our weaknesses. Lent is a good time.

Overcome evil by good

"Father, you have taught us to overcome our sins by prayer, fasting and works of mercy. When we are discouraged by our weakness, give us confidence in your love ….." (Mass Opening Prayer in Lent)

Lex orandi, lex credendi. We believe that we can overcome our sins by prayer, fasting and good works of mercy. Lord, teach me the truth of this.

The Promise and the Fulfillment

"I will prove my holiness through you …. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins. I will give you a new spirit within you, says the Lord." (Ezekiel 36: 23-26)

This is a great promise. Let it be done to me, Father, according to your word.

Through Baptism, God poured clean water over us and washed away our sins. Through the sacrament of Reconciliation, he continues to maintain us free from sin and the attachment to sin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is like a house-cleaning agent.

God's promise to give us a new spirit was first fulfilled at Pentecost and then at our Confirmation.

 

Lost and Found

"But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15: 32)

God our Father is a merciful, compassionate, long-suffering, faithful, omnipotent and great God who desires the lost to be found and the dead to sin to come to life of grace.

A time of adversity

"When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine and now he began to feel the pinch; …. then he came to his senses." (Luke 15: 14-17)

Times and Seasons

There is a time for everything: a time for prosperity and a time for adversity. There is a time for growth and a time for recession. The prodigal son came to his senses in a time of adversity. Without the adversity, his life might have ended in dissoluteness. We thank God for the time of plenty and also for the time of adversity.

Remembering

"Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He pardons all your iniquities; he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction; he crowns you with kindness and compassion." (Psalm 103: 1-4)

Forgetfulness of God's benefits is a terrible state to be in. Forgetfulness of God's benefits exposes us to the risk of despair and hopelessness. A crisis overcame yesterday may come back tomorrow. If we do not remember how we overcame, how do we handle the new crisis? It is a good habit to write down the steps employed by technical support to solve a computer problem. Why? The same or similar problem may pop up before you know it.

I keep a journal and try to write down all God's blessings. The act of writing etches the event deep inside my memory. When a new crisis develops, I search inside my memory for clues on how similar situations were handled in the past. This has helped me to see a pattern of God's interventions.

"Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He pardons all your iniquities; he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction; he crowns you with kindness and compassion." (Psalm 103: 1-4)

 

Grant us to see wonders

"With shepherd's crook lead your people to pasture, the flock that is your heritage, living confined in a forest with meadow land all around. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old! As in the days when you came out of Egypt, grant us to see wonders!" (Micah 7: 14-15)

I confided the following reflection on the above to my journal in 1999.

"3.30 am, I woke up and did not sleep again until I got out of bed at 4.30 am. I asked Christ again as I did before the BS yesterday to bless me enormously this jubilee year. I asked him to grant me to see wonders. I asked for light and guidance on my ministry."

God’s Gifts to us

"God our Father, by your gifts to us on earth we already share in your life. In all we do, guide us to the light of your kingdom…" (Opening Mass Prayer)

• God's gifts to us:
  
• The Holy Spirit
  
• The Church
  
• The Sacraments
  
• Faith, Hope and Love
  
• Communion of Saints
  

These gifts help us to share God's life here and now.

Attributes of God

"The Lord is loving and merciful, to anger slow, and full of love; the Lord is kind to all, and compassionate to all his creatures." (Psalm 145: 8-9)

Attributes of God:

• Loving
  
• Merciful
  
• Slow to anger (long-suffering)
  
• Kind
  
• Compassionate
  
• Omnipresent
  
• Omniscient
  
• Great
  
• Forgiving
  
• Pure
  
• Holy
  
• Eternal
  

The Great Reversals

"Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing and we marvel at it. " (Matthew 21: 42)

The great reversals: Joseph was rejected and sold into slavery by his brothers. God accepted him and promoted him the prime minister of Egypt. Jesus Christ was rejected and crucified. God promoted him by raising him from the dead and confirming him both Lord and God. Why then should we fear rejection? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own perception. In everything you do, acknowledge him and he will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5)

They sold Joseph

"They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver, and these men took Joseph to Egypt." (Genesis 37: 28)

They sold Joseph.

"To you Lord I look for protection, never let me be disgraced. You are my refuge; save me from the trap they had laid for me." (Psalm 31: 2, 5)

Once upon a time, my employer treated me badly. God became the guardian of my rights; he became my refuge and protector. I was "sold" by my "brethren," but God saved me.

 

Immense Benefits from Small Acts

"Merciful Father, may our acts of penance bring us your forgiveness, open our hearts to your love and prepare us for the coming feast of the resurrection …. " (Opening Mass Prayer in Lent)

I am reminded that God our Father is a merciful God. What a consoling and healing truth! Our Lenten acts of penance although insignificant in themselves produce immense spiritual benefits. Just as Namaan the leper was healed of leprosy by dipping himself seven times in River Jordan, so do our acts of penance capable of bringing forgiveness, healing from sin and opening our hearts to God's love.