March 4, 2013

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Monday of the Third Week of Lent 
Lectionary: 237

Reading 12 KGS 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.

Naaman, the great commander of the Aramaean Army 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.”

In his household, there was a little servant girl from Israel.  And she told his wife, "If only my master would go to the prophet in Samaria to be cured."

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.”

Namaan's wife told Namaan and Namaan got permission from the King to travel to Samaria in search of this prophet.   The King, on his part, sent a letter to the King of Israel saying that Namaan was coming to him to be cured of 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 the King of Israel read the letter, he was distressed.  He thought he was supposed to cure Namaan.  He thought the King of Samaria was merely using this as a ruse to start a war.

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.”

But Elisha the Prophet said, "Don't worry.  Send him to me and he will learn that a prophet lives 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.”

And so it was done.  And Namaan came to the door of Elisha's house to ask that favor.  Without even coming to the door, Elisha sent Namaan to the River Jordan to be washed and cured in the water.

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.

Namaan was angered at this behavior, because it was not what he expected.  So he turned around to head back home.

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.”

But his servants loved Namaan and obviously trusted him.  Even in his anger, they would not let him make such a rash mistake.  They asked him, "why not do this simple thing?  If he had asked you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?"

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.

Namaan showed his righteousness and humility.  He listened to his servants and went to the Jordan in obedience to Elisha's instructions.  And he was cured there.

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.”

And he returned to Elisha and said to him, "Because of you, now I know that God exists!' 

Responsorial PsalmPS 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?

As the deer thirsts for water, my spirit longs for you my 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?

I long for you.  When will I behold your face, O Lord?

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?

Send me your spirit within me and I will follow.

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?

Then I will come to you and remain with you.  Then I will praise you and thank you in song, my Lord.

GospelLK 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.

Jesus said to the people of His home.  "No man is respected in his birthplace."

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.

Long ago, Elijah had to leave his home and go to 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.”

In the time of Elisha, only Namaan the Syrian came seeking for the blessing 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.

And the people of the synagogue there in Nazareth knew that he was talking about their lack of faith.  And they drove Him out of town trying to kill him.  But He went through them and went away.