Readings & Reflections: Monday of the Third Week of Lent & St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, March 16,2020

Naaman had to sacrifice his self-importance – “Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?” – in order to receive the purity he desired. For that is purity. Similar disgruntled sentiments held by the people of Nazareth turn them murderous toward Jesus: they want to throw him off a hill. We bring all our self-absorption, our sense of privilege and entitlement to the hill of Calvary to throw it off there.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires. Your Spirit brings us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the gospel and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and for your will”. In your Mighty Name, I pray. Amen.

Reading 1
2 Kgs 5:1-15ab

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,
was highly esteemed and respected by his master,
for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.
But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.
Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel
a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife.
“If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,”
she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went and told his lord
just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.
“Go,” said the king of Aram.
“I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,
six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:
“With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,
that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

When he read the letter,
the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:
“Am I a god with power over life and death,
that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?
Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!”
When Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,
he sent word to the king:
“Why have you torn your garments?
Let him come to me and find out
that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Naaman came with his horses and chariots
and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
The prophet sent him the message:
“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”
But Naaman went away angry, saying,
“I thought that he would surely come out and stand there
to invoke the LORD his God,
and would move his hand over the spot,
and thus cure the leprosy.
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?”
With this, he turned about in anger and left.

But his servants came up and reasoned with him.
“My father,” they said,
“if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,
would you not have done it?
All the more now, since he said to you,
‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before him and said,
“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Gospel
Lk 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Being misunderstood

When we want to examine our lives, seek and discern our Lord’s mighty will on an issue which is pending in our lives, we always hear the exhortation that we have to spend some time in a quiet retreat where we can go in deep prayer. We should go to a place where we can seek the Lord’s presence, so that He may bless us with His will. This is premised on the witness of Jesus when He went on a retreat before His Ministry. What can be a better example than what our Lord has given all of us.

But the truth of the matter is we can also find God not only in the silence of seclusion but in any life scenario, be it the hustle and bustle of business, in the regular goings-on of a family or His Church. We as God’s disciples should be open to His action whichever way He may decide to reveal His presence.

That was the problem with the people of Nazareth. They had specific ideas of God and Who God is. Regrettably, they did not include God to come from amongst them, much more, to be a humble carpenter. “Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.”

Today are we like the people of old in Nazareth? We have specific ideas where and from whom we can seek God’s presence. We have specific people, whether in a family or a community setting, whom we feel God will reveal His presence and His thoughts. We consider only those who have been vested with some structured authority in community as His mouthpiece and we do not listen to the truth that is spoken by a regular community member or by someone who does not belong to our inner circle. We choose who to believe and follow when the TRUTH is painted all over the walls around us.

Our Lord is bringing us His message that we can find Him anywhere. He is asking us to widen our focus and be open to His presence everywhere. We can meet God in the most simple person, in the most hurting experience, in any storm or battle. God is with us wherever we go. It is only our FAITH in Him that will make us accept what He wants for us in any life circumstance. We do not have to look for some signs as our Lord in Heaven has given us more than a sign. He has given us the gift of Christ nailed on the Cross.  Jesus on the cross should more than satisfy man’s natural tendency to ask for proof before being obedient.

All we have to do is seriously look at the ordinary events of each day and the Lord will certainly speak out. We will discover that God speaks His will in anything that may come our way.

Direction

One way we can find God in our lives is by ridding of ourselves of the BUT, and the IF. “I will continue to be faithful to my spouse, IF….” “He is a fine servant leader, BUT…” and replace it with an AMEN.

Prayer

Lord give me the vision that penetrates my doubtful mind and heart. Amen

Reflection 2 – Being misunderstood

Being misunderstood is never fun, and when the disagreement involves those closest to us, it’s especially hurtful.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has just delivered what amounts to his inaugural address to a hometown audience. In it, he has described his mission, told his friends and family what they can expect from him henceforth. Talking among themselves, Jesus’ neighbors and relatives at first applaud his words, and then begin to question them. It’s the old “Who does he think he is?” syndrome. And to make a bad matter worse, Jesus defends himself by citing episodes from the Hebrew Scriptures (one of which constitutes today’s First Reading) where aliens, outsiders, and foreigners seem to have been favored over God’s chosen people. The upshot is that his listeners try to throw him over a cliff. Jesus, as human as we are, had to be wounded by all of this, but all we are told is, “But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way” (Lk 4:30). He made no attempt to justify himself. He gave no hot, angry response.

There’s a lesson there for all of us. When we are misjudged, especially by those whose opinion means something to us, the best thing to do is nothing. As the saying goes, the truth will go out. Our lives, like Jesus’, are our greatest defense. Also we see in Jesus’ mention of the woman in Sidon and Naaman the Syrian that there are no aliens, outsiders, or foreigners in the kingdom of God. All are not merely accepted, but most welcome.

Reflection 3 – The healing power of simplicity

Why do we prefer something extraordinary, even difficult, to something simple? We seem to believe that the more complicated a task, the more powerful the result.

We see this in today’s readings. Naaman, a powerful Syrian general, is insulted when the prophet Elisha tells him to wash in the muddy waters of the Jordan river. And the people of Nazareth who watched Jesus grow from childhood have trouble believing that he is now a great prophet and healer. He’s just a simple man like them, not an expert from far away. We want our religion, like our medicine, shrouded in the mystical and the mysterious.

And yet, while researchers work day and night to find the definitive cure for the common cold, the reality is that the best defense is as simple as frequently washing your hands to eliminate the germs that carry the virus. Naaman, at the word of the prophet, washes in the Jordan and is healed of his leprosy. It’s almost too simple to be believed.

Again and again, the power of God reveals itself in the most wonderfully simple actions – the birth of a baby, a healing touch, the breath of the Spirit. And in our Eucharist today and every day, simple bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

Reflection 4 – The word of warning and judgment

What can limit God’s grace and power in our lives for change and transformation? Indifference and lack of faith for sure! The prophets confronted God’s people with their indifference and unbelief. God’s grace and mercy is offered freely to those who seek it with sincerity, repentance, and faith. When Naaman, a non-Jew went to Jerusalem to seek a cure, the prophet Elisha instructed him to bathe in the river. In faith he obeyed and was healed. Jesus did not hesitate to confront his own people with their indifference and unbelief. When Jesus spoke in his hometown synagogue he startled his listeners with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God can receive honor among his own people. He then angered them when he complimented the gentiles who seemed to have shown more faith in God than the “chosen ones” of Israel. They regarded gentiles as “fuel for the fires of hell”. Jesus’ praise for “outsiders” caused them offence because they were blind-sighted to God’s mercy and plan of redemption for all nations. The word of warning and judgment spoken by Jesus was met with hostility by his own people. They forcibly threw him out of the city and would have done him harm had he not stopped them. The Lord offers us freedom and pardon and the grace to walk in his way of righteousness.  His discipline is for our good that we may share his holiness (Hebrews 12:10). “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates reproof is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1).  Do you seek the Lord for instruction and help so you can grow in holiness?

“Lord Jesus, teach me to love your ways that I may be quick to renounce sin and willfulness in my life. May, I delight to do your will.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2020/mar16.htm

Reflection 5 – Jesus’ power to heal and cleanse

Do you believe that God wants to act with power in your life today? Power to set you free from sin and hurtful desires, fear and oppression. Throughout the Scriptures we see God performing mighty acts to save his people from death and destruction – from Noah’s ark that spared his family from the flood of wickedness that had spread across the land to Moses and the Israelites who crossed through the parting waters of the Red Sea as they fled the armies of Pharaoh their slave Master and oppressor.

Throughout the Gospel accounts Jesus praised individuals who put their faith in God as they remembered the great and wonderful deeds he had performed time and again. Jesus even praised outsiders – non-Jews and pagans from other lands who had heard about the mighty deeds of the God of Israel. One example Jesus mentioned was Naaman the pagan army commander from Syria who was afflicted with leprosy – a debilitating skin disease that slowly ate away the flesh (2 Kings 5:1-15). Naaman’s slave-girl was a young Jewish woman who had faith in God and compassion for Naaman her master. She urged him to seek healing from Elisha, the great prophet of Israel.When Naaman went to the land of Israel to seek a cure for his leprosy, the prophet Elisha instructed him to bathe seven times in the Jordan river. Namaan was indignant at first, but then repented and followed the prophet’s instructions. In doing so he was immediately restored in body and spirit.

Healing the leprosy of soul and body
What is the significance of Naaman’s healing for us? Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD), an early Christian teacher from Edessa, tells us that Naaman’s miraculous healing at the River Jordan, prefigures the mystery of the healing which is freely granted to all nations of the earth by our Lord Jesus through the regenerating waters of baptism and renewal in the Holy Spirit(Titus 3:5).

“Therefore Naaman was sent to the Jordan as to the remedy capable to heal a human being. Indeed, sin is the leprosy of the soul, which is not perceived by the senses, but intelligence has the proof of it, and human nature must be delivered from this disease by Christ’s power which is hidden in baptism. It was necessary that Naaman, in order to be purified from two diseases, that of the soul and that of the body, might represent in his own person the purification of all the nations through the bath of regeneration, whose beginning was in the river Jordan, the mother and originator of baptism.” (commentary ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 5.10-1)

Jesus told Nicodemus, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The Lord Jesus wants to renew in each one of us the gift of faith and the regenerating power of baptism and the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) which cleanses us of the leprosy of sin and makes us “newborn” sons and daughters of God.

Confronting the sin of indifference and unbelief
When Jesus first proclaimed the good news of God’s kingdom to his own townspeople at Nazareth (Luke 4:23-27), he did not hesitate to confront them with their sin of indifference and unbelief. He startled his listeners in the synagogue at Nazareth with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God could receive honor among his own people. He then angered them when he complimented Gentiles who had shown more faith in God than the “chosen ones” of Israel. Some who despised the Gentiles (non-Jews) even spoke of them as “fuel for the fires of hell.” Jesus’ praise for “outsiders” offended the ears of his own people because they were blind-sighted to God’s merciful plan of redemption for all the nations. The word of rebuke spoken by Jesus was met with indignation and hostility. The Nazarenes forcibly threw him out of their town and would have done him physical harm had he not stopped them.

The Lord brings healing and pardon to all who humbly seek him with faith and trust 
We all stand in need of God’s grace and merciful help every day and every moment of our lives. Scripture tells us that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). God gives grace to the humble who seek him with expectant faith and with a repentant heart that wants to be made whole and clean again.

The Lord Jesus will set us free from every sinful habit and every harmful way of relating to our neighbor, if we allow him to cleanse and heal us. If we want to walk in freedom and grow in love and holiness, then we must humbly renounce our sinful ways and submit to Christ’s instruction and healing discipline in our lives. Scripture tells us that the Lord disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness (Hebrews 12:10). Do you want the Lord Jesus to set you free and make you whole again? Ask him to show you the way to walk in his healing love and truth.

“Lord Jesus, teach me to love your ways that I may be quick to renounce sin and willfulness in my life. Make me whole and clean again that I may delight to do your will.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2018/mar5.htm

Reflection 6 – Expect the unexpected

Please follow Romeo Hontiveros at Twitter click this link: https://twitter.com/Trumpeta

Reflection 7 – St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (1751-1820 A.D.)

Clement might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of St. Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps.

John, the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man’s fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to baking. One day after serving Mass at the cathedral of St. Stephen, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both him and his friend, Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome, where they were drawn to St. Alphonsus’ vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785.

Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw, Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preached outdoor sermons. They were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys.

Drawing candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to Poland, Germany and Switzerland. All of these foundations had eventually to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work Clement himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became “the apostle of Vienna,” hearing the confessions of the rich and poor, visiting the sick, acting as a counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city.

Persecution followed him, and there were those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts, the congregation, upon his death in 1820, was firmly established north of the Alps.

He was canonized in 1909.

Comment:

Clement saw his life’s work meet with disaster. Religious and political tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministry in Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Clement himself was exiled from Poland and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities opening up whenever they meet failure. He encourages us to follow his example, trusting in the Lord to guide us.

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1324

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.