For those that live in the United States, I wish you a wonderful restful day on this Labor Day. Today’s gospel is a wake-up call for all of us. It offers us an opportunity to reflect on our attitude towards others and God’s will. In the Gospel we read:
“….there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
These words of Jesus infuriated “all in the synagogue of Nazareth”. They were filled with wrath. They wanted to “get rid” of Jesus by throwing him off the cliff (hill), but they did not success, since Jesus’ time has not yet come. Jesus will die in Jerusalem and not in Nazareth. Jesus himself said “it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem”.(Luke 13: 33)
From the Gospel, we learn about the danger of presumption. Salvation is not an inheritance. Salvation is a gift, freely given. It is welcomed by those who dispose themselves to accept the grace of God. Salvation is not limited to the Jewish people only, it is also offered to the gentiles, as Jesus elaborated in the gospel through his stories about Naaman and the Zarephath. Both were Gentiles, foreigners, and outsiders.
The healing of Naaman of leprosy not only represents physical restoration but also symbolizes the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s redemptive plan. The cleansing of Naaman serves as a powerful image of God’s universal love and the breaking down of barriers between different nations and peoples.
Jesus reveals through the Gospel that his ministry is not limited to the Jewish people. Jesus would later command his disciples to make disciples of all nations, Jews and Gentiles alike.
Just as the people of Nazareth did not welcome the message of Jesus with open hearts, so did they not welcome Jesus. The people of Jesus’ native area in Nazareth missed out on the great things He would have done, because of their lack of faith that a person they have known all the time could be their savior. We are reminded not to look down upon others but should try to see people and things with God’s eye.
Have a wonderful Labor Day
