Today is March 24, Monday of the Third Week of Lent.
Leprosy is a theme both in the first reading and the Gospel at today’s Mass. Naaman the Syrian travels to Israel in search of a cure for his leprosy. The prophet Elisha tells him to bathe seven times in the Jordan river. Jesus speaks of Naaman: “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” (Lk 4:27).
The bathing of Naaman in the Jordan prefigures the power of baptism. Under the Law of Moses, leprosy separates the sick person from the rest of the community. The decaying flesh and loss of life mark one as unclean, requiring quarantine from the rest of the people who have been set apart for God.
But Naaman isn’t an Israelite. He is not subject to the Law of Moses, nor has God called him into the holy nation and royal priesthood formed at Sinai. He is a Syrian, and as a Syrian he hears that the God of Israel can make him clean. So, he comes to Israel and subjects himself to the simple act of bathing in the Jordan.
Naaman is made clean. His flesh heals and his life returns with great vigor. Through his healing, both his skin and his soul are made like that of a little child. He returns to Elisha and bows before the Lord, whom he now knows is God.
Our healing
Baptism made us wholly and totally clean. Our souls were made like those of children, for we became the sons and daughters of God through the sacred waters. Through the regenerative washing, God gave us new life when we had lost it through sin and strength to our souls when we were weak.
God could have cleansed many different people, and many people have been cleansed. We did not deserve our baptisms, but God chose us. As Jesus reminds us, Naaman was one of many lepers. His cleansing was personal, and so was ours on the day of our baptism.
We give thanks this Lent that God has cleansed us, brought us into his family and now calls us his sons and daughters. May he give us the strength to grow and mature, coming to full stature after the pattern of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray,
May your unfailing compassion, O Lord, cleanse and protect your Church, and, since without you she cannot stand secure, may she be always governed by your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
