Humans often put up barriers between different groups, but God breaks them down. Here is today’s reflection on the daily mass readings from Fr Richard.
Readings for Monday of the third week of Lent can be found here.
A few years ago a newspaper ran a light-hearted piece asking people to name the groups they found most annoying. The answers were quite revealing. Car drivers complained about cyclists getting in their way, while cyclists were annoyed by motorists coming too close or cutting them up. Some older people complained about noisy children on public transport, while parents found it irritating when folk pulled faces or tut-tutted about their children. We humans often like to divide up the world into “us” and “them”; and of course, “we” are in the right and “they” are in the wrong. More seriously, we see this tendency played out in our increasingly divisive politics and in the field of international relations.
The world of the Bible was not immune to this, but in our readings today we see how God breaks down barriers and overcomes division. Naaman would normally be regarded with suspicion by Israelites on three levels. First, he is a Gentile; second, he is suffering from leprosy; and third, he was the commander of an enemy army. We’re told he had even kidnapped an Israelite girl in one of the Syrian army’s raids. Yet the girl herself sees beyond these divisions; it is she who suggests that Naaman go to Elisha to seek healing. Elisha too is willing to overcome the differences between him and Naaman, even if he does just send a messenger rather than go himself.
Jesus refers to this story in today’s Gospel. His own people, in his hometown, have rejected him. He tells them that those they regard as inferior – the widow of Zarephath, and Naaman – often respond better to God than his own people. This does not go down well! Let us be aware of the barriers we often construct, or the attitude we form about others. Let us always be on the lookout for God at work in the lives of those who are different to us. We might end up being surprised, and it might help us to build a more tolerant and inclusive world.
Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson, Grangetown, at 6.30pm, followed by Stations of the Cross at 7pm.
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