Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

In today’s reading, like many others, I identify with the fool. Naaman, with all his earthly clout, didn’t believe Elisha’s simple request to wash in the Jordon was sufficient to cure him of his disease.

Despite the mysterious nature of God, our path to healing is often more humble than we initially recognize. God knows that we all seek healing and that without humility we often resist it. By modeling humility in his ministry, Jesus shows us the way. For us, this path of seeking humility leads to both Jesus and our own healing, which are one in the same by design. In the time of Jesus, many anticipated a messiah who would lead Israel as a miraculous conquering hero, without humility, and invoke God for displays of power and strength. Surely I would have been one of those who wrongly assumed the messiah would arrive with more pomp and circumstance than being born in a manager.

Much like Elisha before him, Jesus was a healer who did not draw undue attention to the miracle of healing. Rather, his focus was on the seeking heart of the individual wishing to be healed. Naaman’s search for a miracle coincided with his own path to humility. Upon finding the prophet, his expectations were dashed since he didn’t recognize the Lord at work in Elisha. Lord knows how many times that I too have asked for a miracle but subconsciously knew exactly how that miracle should look, when it should happen, and the reason why it had to happen... only to be disappointed at first glance.   

Despite resistance and skepticism to Elisha’s request, Naaman’s faith and friends carried him through to choose a place of healing. For Naaman, that place was the Jordan; for us, it is recognizing where we foolishly resist God’s simple requests for healing. In my life I cling to much of what blocks my vision of God, but at times I find the strength to release control and learn once again to proclaim: “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

John Michael Ford is Director of Outcomes and COntract Management for Catholic Charities of Tennessee. 

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