Expectation Exactly in Error

The Story of the healing of the Syrian Naaman by the prophet Elisha from the second book of Kings in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents how the expectations we have for intimacy with the Divine may actually take us away from the relationship we seek. We always seem to know better. Our understanding is that things would work better if God behaved towards us as we specify. What grounds do we have for such pride and arrogance? When we dare approach the realm of the Divine should we not be in a deep state of spiritual receptiveness? The psalmist expresses the deep thirst of humanity to be in communion with God. The psalmist proclaims his openness to being lead by God to this intimacy. The difference between hearing the invitation and “listening to” the indwelling Spirit may be shown in comparing the first and second response of Naaman in the text. “Listening to” requires an obedience of our spirit to attend to and take in the communication with the expectation of a gift for our being. The blindness which results from pre judgement is described by Jesus in the episode from Luke’s Gospel in which the truth of His message to the religious authorities or the failure of their responsibility to “listen” has angered His audience to the point of seeking His death.