Monday of the Third Week of Lent

 2 Kings 5:1-15ab     Luke 4:24-30

In the first reading today, we meet Naaman. Naaman is the army commander for King Aram, and he was a leper. When the king told him to go see the king of Israel, Naaman obeyed and went. When he went there, the king of Israel told him to dunk his head seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman was very angry with this instruction. He thought of himself as a very esteemed person. He of course did not want to do this, he thought the Jordan was so dirty and he would never do such a thing. Then, a young Jewish girl approached Naaman and asked him why he didn’t dunk his head seven times. She said, “if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary would you not have done it?”

I think this is one of the most important lines in today’s reading, because it shows that Naaman is lucky to have this opportunity to cure his disease, while others who have leprosy who cannot be cured.

This story reminds me of Adam and Eve and other characters in the Bible like Naaman, who doubted God. They did not trust God and his plan for them. They did the wrong thing even when God told them not to. Naaman finally obeyed and dunked himself in the Jordan, and was cured.

This Lenten season shows us to listen to our neighbors because they can help us see God’s way. It also shows that we should not put our pride first, because we could be missing a big opportunity, like Naaman almost missed.

Q: What advice am I not taking because of pride or other obstacles shielding my trust in God and the wisdom of my neighbors?

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