The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to appreciate the role prophets in guiding our journey even as we observe the rejection they receive.
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| Prophets and rejection |
The reading from the Second Book of Kings describes how Elisha, the prophet, cures Naaman’s leprosy.
* [5:12] Wash in them and be cleansed: typical of the ambiguity in ritual healing or cleanliness. The muddy waters of the Jordan are no match hygienically for the mountain spring waters of Damascus; ritually, it is the other way around.1
In Psalm 42 and 43 divine attributes are personified as guides for our pilgrimage.
* [43:3] Your light and your fidelity: a pair of divine attributes personified as guides for the pilgrimage. As in Ps 42:9 the psalmist prays that these divine attributes lead him back to Jerusalem and ultimately to God’s presence in the Temple.2
The rejection of Jesus as prophet at Nazareth is a theme of the Gospel from Luke.
* [4:25–26] The references to Elijah and Elisha serve several purposes in this episode: they emphasize Luke’s portrait of Jesus as a prophet like Elijah and Elisha; they help to explain why the initial admiration of the people turns to rejection; and they provide the scriptural justification for the future Christian mission to the Gentiles.3
Andy Alexander, S.J. observes we withhold our belief, and therefore, the chance of our own healing.
I can make a lot of excuses why I might not see what sense it makes to return to God, the way, along the path, that Jesus suggests. So, I can go through Lent, not getting healed, because I don't agree with "the terms" of the healing process…A grace offered us today could be to step back and humbly ask our Lord, "What is it you want to give me these remaining days of Lent, dear Lord? How can I be open to the simple process of your way to greater life, greater freedom, greater joy?" If the Lord is calling me these days for a purer heart - with less anger and judgment, for example - or a more peaceful heart - with less anxiety and worry, for example - or a heart that is more generous and dying to self - with family and in regards to alms-giving to the poor, for example - it just might be that the healing offered me is quite simple. It may be that all I need is to let myself grow in intimacy with Jesus - friend to friend - and to simply ask, with an open heart, "Heal me, dear Lord. Please heal me. I so desire to be healed and to be renewed by you, for a deeper, fuller, freer, more loving life."4
Don Schwager quotes “Could anyone refuse to love our God?”, by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Fulfill the commandments out of love. Could anyone refuse to love our God, so abounding in mercy, so just in all his ways? Could anyone deny love to him who first loved us despite all our injustice and all our pride? Could anyone refuse to love the God who so loved us as to send his only Son not only to live among human beings but also to be put to death for their sake and at their own hands?"5
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Kings 5:1-15 comments that our lives are filled with tales of everyday trust that can teach us about trusting the Lord.
In today’s first reading, a chain of trust involving many people brings Naaman to the point of being healed of his leprosy. One person’s trust led to actions that influenced the next person and so on… The fruit of all that trust was Naaman’s healing, coupled with the conviction that the God of Israel is the one true God. Without a doubt, the trajectory of his life, as well as all those around him, was forever changed.
You can experience a chain of trust today. Your life and your faith have an impact on the people around you. When you trust God, it has a ripple effect beyond your own life. Your choice to trust God with a difficult decision in your marriage might bring your spouse to trust God too. The confidence in God’s providence that motivates your giving might lead your neighbor to become more generous himself.6
Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the concern of the king of Israel over the healing of Naaman. Naaman makes a proclamation of monotheism. Friar Jude reminds us to ponder the miracles of Eucharist and guidance by the Spirit.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes prophets must first be true disciples of their faith. In fact, it is their deep love for their tradition that allows them to criticize it at the same time. This is almost always the hallmark of a prophet. Their deepest motivation is not negative but profoundly positive. The dualistic mind presumes that if you criticize something, you don’t love it, but Fr. Richard would say just the opposite. There is a major difference between negative criticism and positive critique. The first stems from the need for power; the second flows from love. Albert Nolan is a Dominican priest from South Africa and the author of several books that challenge us to consider what it means to be a disciple and follower of Jesus.
We have seen how boldly and radically Jesus spoke out against the assumptions and practices of the social and religious establishment of his time. He turned their world upside down. The conflict that this created became so intense that in the end they killed him to keep him quiet.
Any attempt to practice the same spirituality as Jesus would entail learning to speak truth to power as he did—and facing the consequences. [1]7
Our tendency to accept the status quo and go with our comfort zone may be keeping us hearing the prophetic message of self sacrifice for transformation.
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