Monday of the Third Week in Lent

Today's Mass Readings

“Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?” (42:3) is our psalm response for today. Indeed, this ought to be a theme of our entire Lenten season. It is a time when we are constantly reminded of our longing for God. Each of our Lenten sacrifices – whether fasting, almsgiving or prayer – should lead us to a deeper desire for God. Today’s first reading comes to us from the Second Book of Kings, one of the “historical books” of the Bible. The passage is a long story featuring Naaman, a valiant army commander who also suffers from leprosy, and his cure ultimately comes from Elisha, the Israelite prophet, although Naaman is not an Israelite. Undoubtedly, Naaman had a desire to be made clean from leprosy, but his was not a desire for God, especially since he regarded this God as just one among many, peculiar only in that it was the God of the Israelites. And yet he put his trust in the little Israelite girl who DID believe in Israel’s God. But even after this, Naaman does not want to follow the directions of Elisha. He wants something dramatic; he has something specific in mind for his cure. Those who are with him persuade him to try it, and indeed he is healed. Then Naaman is convinced that the God of Israel is the only God. Immediately after this realization, Naaman returns to Elisha and insists that he will now only worship the God of the Israelites. He is now thirsting for the living God, so grateful is he for his healing.

When we read today’s gospel passage, we see that Jesus makes reference to the story of Naaman and Elisha. This comes right after he has identified himself as anointed to bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, restore sight to the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord (Lk. 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah). Though the crowd ought to have been excited about this, instead they seem resentful, even suspicious. Hence Jesus notes that a prophet is never accepted in his own land. These people in the synagogue want a messiah. But they don’t want a messiah like Jesus.

In our lives, we often want things our own way. Like Naaman, we look for healing in a particular way. Like the people in the synagogue, we have our own desires and often look for something beside Jesus to save us. In the end, however, our faith teaches us that – despite our own specific desires – our one true desire is Jesus. When we can identify this true longing for the living God, we understand ourselves and our own inadequacies better.

In this season of Lent, let us identify the ways in which we follow our own selfish desires instead of focusing on Jesus, our one true desire. For indeed, Jesus is here for us: he lived, died and rose again for us. We will not be disappointed if our souls are truly thirsting for the living God; in the end, we will be satisfied. As we continue to practice Lenten sacrifices, let us pray that they remind us more fully that our soul thirsts for the living God.

- Maria Morrow