20180305
PRE-FIGUREMENT OF BAPTISM
05 MARCH, 2018, Monday, 3rd Week of Lent
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
|
First reading
|
2 Kings 5:1-15 ©
|
|
There were many lepers in Israel, but only Naaman, the Syrian,
was cured
|
Naaman, army commander to the king of Aram, was a man who enjoyed
his master’s respect and favour, since through him the Lord had granted victory
to the Aramaeans. But the man was a leper. Now on one of their raids, the
Aramaeans had carried off from the land of Israel a little girl who had become
a servant of Naaman’s wife. ‘She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would
approach the prophet of Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy.’ Naaman went
and told his master. ‘This and this’ he reported ‘is what the girl from the
land of Israel said.’ ‘Go by all means,’ said the king of Aram ‘I will send a
letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of
silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten festal robes. He presented the letter
to the king of Israel. It read: ‘With this letter, I am sending my servant
Naaman to you for you to cure him of his leprosy.’ When the king of Israel read
the letter, he tore his garments. ‘Am I a god to give death and life,’ he said
‘that he sends a man to me and asks me to cure him of his leprosy? Listen to
this, and take note of it and see how he intends to pick a quarrel with me.’
When Elisha
heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king,
‘Why did you tear your garments? Let him come to me, and he will find there is
a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his team and chariot and drew up at
the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent him a messenger to say, ‘Go and
bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.’
But Naaman was indignant and went off, saying, ‘Here was I thinking he would be
sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the Lord his
God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part. Surely Abana
and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could
I not bathe in them and become clean?’ And he turned round and went off in a
rage. But his servants approached him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had
asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more
reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’ So he
went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told
him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little
child.
Returning to
Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before him. ‘Now I know’ he
said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.’
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 41(42):2-3,42:3-4 ©
|
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my
life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my
life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
My soul is thirsting for God,
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
the face of God?
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my
life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my
life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my
life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
2Co6:2
|
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
|
Or
|
cf.Ps129:5,7
|
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word,
because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 4:24-30 ©
|
|
No prophet is ever accepted in his own country
|
Jesus came to Nazara and spoke to the people in the synagogue: ‘I
tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.
‘There were
many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained
shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the
land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at
Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many
lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’
When they
heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and
hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their
town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped
through the crowd and walked away.
PRE-FIGUREMENT OF BAPTISM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Kings 5:1-15; Ps 42:2-3, 42:3-4; Lk 4:24-30 ]
The season of
Lent prepares us to celebrate the New Life given to us at Easter. For those who are
catechumens, they are preparing for the sacrament of baptism. For those
of us who are already baptized, it is an occasion for us to renew our baptismal
promises. The scripture readings of today prefigure the Christian baptism
that was to come after Christ. Yet, the process is similar to anyone who
wants to arrive in faith in Christ and celebrate their faith in baptism.
At the
outset, the gospel message is addressed to everyone. In the cure of Naaman
and how Elijah was “sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town”, Jesus makes
it clear that the message of salvation is given to all, including those who are
gentiles. “There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in
Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a
great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of
these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet
Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured,
except the Syrian, Naaman.” The invitation to salvation is not only
extended to the Jews but to all, even the pagans. God desires all to be
saved “and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)
However, the
message was first addressed to the Jews. Indeed, Israel was the chosen instrument
of God, to be His messenger for the salvation of humanity. That was why
Jesus in His earthly ministry did not venture beyond Palestine in His preaching.
When the Canaanite woman asked Him to deliver her daughter from the demon, He
said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mt 15:24)
Unfortunately, His own did not receive Him. This was what happened
in today’s gospel. They could not accept Jesus because they thought they
knew Him too well as He was one of them. St John remarked, “He came to
what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the
will of man, but of God.” (Jn 1:11-13)
The beginning
of faith must come from a recognition of our need for salvation. It is an
awareness of our sinfulness and of our emptiness. In the case of
Naaman, he was helpless in the face of the most dreaded disease in his days,
namely, leprosy. In biblical language, leprosy is a symbol of one
who is rotting in sin. When a person sins, he does not become a great
sinner overnight. Just like leprosy, sin slowly eats into
him. For others, it is an experience of emptiness and restlessness.
Like the psalmist, many are longing for fullness of life. Like the
psalmist, we pray, “Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul
is yearning for you, my God. My soul is thirsting for God, the God
of my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?” When our life is
miserable because of sin, or empty because of the lack of fulfillment, we begin
to search for God.
Secondly,
faith is transmitted and is caught. We need messengers of God to lead us to faith.
We do not have faith by ourselves. All of us are called to be an
apostle of our Lord. One does not need to be a theologian, a priest or a
religious or an educated person to be an instrument of God’s message; we only
need faith. In the case of Naaman, he was led to God not by some great
and holy people but his faith was initiated by his servant girl who told her
mistress, “If only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria. He
would cure him of his leprosy.” It was her faith in God’s prophet that
gave Naaman hope of being cured. Consequently, it is important for
Catholics to share their faith with others, tell them about Jesus and lead them
to Him, regardless of their level of knowledge.
Thirdly, the
message of salvation is given to all, irrespective of our rank or status. In the eyes of God,
we are all His children. Naaman was not aware of this fact. He
thought he was somebody and he expected special treatment because of his
position. He did not even get down from his chariot to greet Elisha.
To teach him a lesson on the equality of men and women before God, “Elisha sent
him a messenger to say, ‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh
will become clean once more.’” Indeed, as Christians we are all equal
before God. We have different roles but we are equal in dignity. St Paul
said, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or
free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
(Gal 3:27f)
Fourthly, the
healing grace of God is given to us through ordinary means. This is what the
sacraments are all about. God uses natural elements of creation to transmit
eternal life to us all. God’s healing is not for spectacular display to
command obedience. It is not for entertainment and curiosity. God
works through natural things like water in the sacrament of baptism.
Naaman expected Elisha to perform a great miracle. Indeed, “Naaman was
indignant and went off, saying, ‘Here was I thinking he would be sure to come
out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave
his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part. Surely Abana and
Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could I
not bathe in them and become clean?’ And he turned round and went off in a
rage.”
Fifthly, God
can only give His grace to those who are docile and humble. Perhaps, we can overlook
Naaman’s arrogance and pride because of the office that he held. He was
used to performing heroic acts and received with honour and dignity. When
he was dismissed by the prophet and was asked to bath in the narrow stream of
Jordan, he was flabbergasted. But he thought over and swallowed his pride
when the servant reasoned out with him, “My father, if the prophet had asked
you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more
reason, then, when he says to you, ‘Bathe and you will become
clean.’” Truly, without humility, we cannot expect God to work in
our lives. Without docility, we cannot be obedient to His word.
God’s command to Naaman was so simple and yet he refused because it was too
insignificant a task for him. He had nothing to prove his might.
But God gave him the grace of docility. He listened to his servants, “So
he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told
him to do.” It was because of his receptivity that he saw the power of
God.
Sixthly, we
see the consequence of baptism, “And his flesh became clean once more like the
flesh of a little child.” Indeed, when we are baptized, we are born
again. We are a new creation. “See what love the Father
has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we
are.” (1 Jn 3:1) St Paul wrote, “In Christ Jesus you are all children
of God through faith.” (Gal 3:26) We are given a new life in Christ.
Seventhly,
baptism is a free gift of God. We cannot pay a price for our salvation.
“Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before
him. ‘Now I know’ he said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except
in Israel.’ Then he added, ‘please accept a present from your servant.’” (2 kg
5:15) But what was the response of Elisha? “’As the Lord lives, whom I serve,
I will accept nothing!’ He urged him to accept, but he refused.” (2 Kg
5:16) Indeed, nothing in this world, no riches or status can buy
salvation. God gives His salvation freely and to all. No earthly
wealth could be compared to so great a gift of becoming God’s children.
Finally, the
process of coming to faith does not end with baptism. It is but an
incorporation to the Church which is the body of Christ. We
cannot journey alone in our faith. To be baptized means that we are
incorporated into the body of Christ. “For as in one body we
have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we,
who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of
another.” (Rom 12:4f) If we journey alone, we will not be able to
sustain our faith. It is this realization that Naaman asked for “two
mule-loads of earth” so that he “will no longer offer burnt offering or
sacrifice to any god except the Lord.” (2 Kgs 5:17)
In bringing back the soil, he was reaffirming his solidarity with the rest of
the Israelites in worshipping the same God.
Indeed, it is
ironical that those who have faith in God are the pagans, more so than those of
us who are so-called believers. More ironical still is that those who have deep
faith are often the simple ordinary Catholics; not those who are schooled in
theology and scriptures. Sometimes, too much knowledge make us too
rationalistic and even skeptical. In both scripture readings of today, we see
how the Gentiles were more receptive to faith. In fact, the king of Aram
and Naaman had more faith than the king of Israel when he cried out, “Am I a
god to give death and life.” Precisely, we are not gods but mortals, even
if we were someone of high status in life. That is why we must, in
humility and in faith, turn to the Lord for our salvation. Let this be
our humble prayer, “O send forth your light and your truth; let these be my
guide. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you
dwell.” May the poignant words of Jesus not be said of us as well, “’I
tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment