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Monday, March 8, 2021

Obedient


The WORD today reminds me that I should be obedient and submit to God’s will, especially when his will seems to be different from ours. 

In the first reading, we see Naaman being told to go to the prophet Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. Of course he was excited, but when told what he should do to be cleansed, he felt bad. He was expecting a grand cleansing - Elisha invoking God's name and moving his hand over the skin, cleansing him of his leprosy. However, he was told to wash himself seven times. Aside from it not being what he wanted to happen, we also see his pride - that he felt their rivers are just as powerful as Jordan. He wanted more. However, he was eventually persuaded, and when he did this, he was cured. 

Naaman wanted things to happen his way. Naaman did not want to move and do his part and just wanted to stand there and be cleansed. 

Obedience is needed for miracles. 

How often are we like Naaman? There are times that we feel God not being there or not answering our prayers simply because what he is asking us to do is different from what we want to do or what we want to happen. we expect him to conform to what we want, not the other way around. We expect to be blessed, to be healed, or to receive guidance and answer without doing our part, without doing the best that we can. We just wait for him to do all the work for us. As we see in the reading, God is powerful and merciful, but he won't spoil us. He wants us to do our part as well to get the healing, blessing, forgiveness and guidance we are praying for. 

What am i praying to God right now? How is he answering me? Am I open when the way he wants me to go is different from what I want to happen?

May we always be humble and obedient to God, especially when his ways are not what we expected. 

Father God,
Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for another chance to experience your love and power. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I act like Naaman - proud even if I'm the one who is asking for something. Sorry for not being willing to do my part, and expect you to just give me what I want. Give me a servant's heart. Lord, open my heart that i would always be humble and submit to your will. May I be sensitive to you,  especially when your answer is different from what i want or expect. And May I always humble myself and obey what you want me to do.  Amen.

Blessed Week!

In Christ,
-g-

Ps
See related reflection:

March 08, 2021
3rd Week of Lent - Monday; St. John of God

FIRST READING

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

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? 

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? 

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? 

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?

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL

I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word; with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption.

GOSPEL

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 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. 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.” 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.



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