Reflections for Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Today’s liturgy presents a striking contrast between the expectation of the “extraordinary” and the transformative power of “humble obedience.” As we journey through Lent, the readings invite us to examine where we look for God, and whether we are willing to find Him in the places we least expect.
The Resistance to the Simple: Naaman and the Jordan
In the first reading (2 Kings 5:1-15), we meet Naaman, a man of high status but deep brokenness. He travels with gold, silver, and horses, expecting a grand theatrical display of healing. When Elisha simply tells him to wash in the Jordan seven times, Naaman is “indignant.” He wanted a spectacle; God offered a bath in a muddy river.
This mirrors a core theme in St. Faustina’s Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. Jesus often told Faustina that the greatest graces are drawn from the vessel of trust and found in the performance of daily, hidden duties.
“The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.” (Diary, 1578)
Like Naaman, we often think we need to do “something difficult” to earn God’s favor. Yet, the Diary reminds us that Mercy is a gift already flowing; we simply need the humility to dip ourselves into the “vessel” of His Will, however ordinary it may seem.
The Thirst of the Soul: Psalm 42
The Responsorial Psalm is the cry of the exile: “Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God.” For Naaman, the water was a means of physical healing. For the Psalmist, it is the only thing that can quench an existential thirst. St. Faustina experienced this “thirst” intensely, often describing a “longing for God” that felt like a physical ache.
The Rejection of Truth: Jesus in Nazareth
In the Gospel (Luke 4:24-30), Jesus points out that God’s mercy often bypasses the “entitled” to reach the “outsider”, like the widow of Zarephath or Naaman the Syrian. This truth enrages His own people. They cannot handle a God who doesn’t play by their rules of proximity and heritage.
Jesus’ narrow escape from the cliff-edge foreshadows the Passion, but it also speaks to the “rejection” Faustina often wrote about. Many in her time (and ours) found the message of Divine Mercy “too simple” or “too scandalous” because it suggests that the greatest sinner has a right to God’s mercy.
Just as the people of Nazareth tried to “throw Him down the cliff,” our own pride often tries to push away the uncomfortable truths of the Gospel. We prefer a God we can control over a God who demands we change our hearts.
Saint Frances of Rome: Mercy in the Home
Today we also celebrate St. Frances of Rome, a 15th-century mystic who perfectly bridges the gap between the “extraordinary” and the “everyday.” Although she wished for a life of quiet contemplation, she spent years serving her family and the poor of Rome during times of plague and civil war.
She is famously quoted as saying: “A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar to find Him in her household affairs.”
This is the very essence of the “Little Way” and the Divine Mercy spirituality: finding the “holy mountain” of the Psalm not in a distant land, but in the person right in front of us.
Closing Prayer
Based on the Gospel of Luke and the Diary of St. Faustina
Lord Jesus, You walked through the midst of those who rejected You and continued on Your way of Mercy. Grant us the grace of Naaman’s humility, that we may not look for You only in the spectacular, but recognize Your healing hand in the simple “washings” of our daily life.
When our souls thirst like the deer, remind us that the Font of Life is always open. Forgive us for the times we have tried to “hustle You out of our lives” because Your truth challenged our comfort. Through the intercession of St. Frances of Rome, help us to find You at the “altar of our household affairs.”
Saint Frances of Rome, pray for us.
Saint Faustina, pray for us.
Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.