08 March 2021, Monday FIRST READING “There were a lot of lepers in Israel; and none of them was purified, but Naaman the Syrian ” Reading from the second book of Kings (5, 1-15a)

08 March 2021, Monday 

FIRST READING 

“There were a lot of lepers in Israel; and none of them was purified, but Naaman the Syrian ” 

Reading from the second book of Kings (5, 1-15a) 

In those days Naaman, general of the army of the king of Aram, was a man of great valor and highly esteemed by his master, for it was through him that the Lord had given victory to the kingdom of Aram. . Now this valiant warrior was a leper. Some Aramaeans, during an expedition to the land of Israel, had taken prisoner a girl who was placed in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress: “Ah! if my master spoke to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would deliver him from his leprosy. Naaman went to the king and said to him, "This is what the maiden of Israel said. "The king of Aram answered him," Go, get on your way. I am sending a letter to the King of Israel. "

Naaman therefore left; he took ten ingots of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten festive garments. He delivered the letter to the king of Israel. It read: "At the same time as this letter reaches you, I am sending you Naaman my servant, to deliver him from his leprosy." When the king of Israel read this message, he tore his clothes and cried, "Am I God, master of life and death? This king is sending me a man to deliver him from his leprosy! You can see it clearly: it is a provocation! When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he made him say, "Why did you tear your clothes? Let this man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel. "

Naaman came with his horses and chariot, and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him: "Go and bathe yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean again, you will be cleansed." Naaman got angry and walked away saying: "I said to myself: Surely he will come out, and stand up to call on the name of the Lord his God; then he'll wave his hand over the sick spot and heal my leprosy. Are the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Parpar, not better than all the waters of Israel? If I bathed in it, wouldn't I be purified? He turned bridle and left in anger. But his servants approached him to say: “Father! If the prophet had ordered you to do something difficult, you would have done it, right? How much more, when he says to you: “Bathe, and you will be purified. ” He went down to the Jordan and dipped there seven times, to obey the word of the man of God; then his flesh became again like that of a small child: he was purified! He returned to the man of God with all his escort; he entered, stood before him and declared: "From now on I know it: there is no other God in all the earth but that of Israel!" " 

The Word of the Lord.

__________