My Simple Reflection: Patient

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030915.cfm) reminds me how God is patient with us.

In the gospel, we see Jesus talking about the first reading – the cure of Naaman by Elisha. He was a respected army commander but was a leper. When he was told he can be cured, he set out and travelled, but eventually when what he was asked to do was different from what he expected, he almost did not do it. Probably he was too proud to do it, thinking that he is a commander and the water in their city was greater than those in his native Syria. He was expecting something else to be done to him, and not to be told do so something else himself.

How many times do we act like Naaman? Sometimes we feel that we have done enough, like Naaman who travelled and went out of his way to go to Israel, and we want God to do the rest. But when we are asked to do something more, we feel like giving up, or we are not willing anymore. Sometimes we are too proud and want God to conform to what we want, and not the right way for us to conform and obey what God wants.

Good thing God is patient.

He does not give up on us easily! He arranged for the servant to tell Naaman’s wife that he can be healed in Israel. Then when he felt angry at what Elisha told him to do, God caused one of his servants to persuade naaman to do it anyway. Then when Naaman did it, even if probably not in full faith, God still healed him. God is that patient and loving. He fills our faith when we have just little faith in Him. He rewards even the littlest of faith.

May we be inspired and assured of God’s patience and goodness to us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another week. Thank you for another chance to experience your love and patience in my life. Lord, I am sorry for being proud and impatient like Naaman. Sorry for wanting you to conform to what I want, not the other way around. Sorry for being proud and not having a heart that would just obey you. Thank you for being patient and loving, and I ask that you continue to send people that will guide or even push me to do the right things for you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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March 9, 2015

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Lectionary: 237

Reading 1 2 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.

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.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.