VOICE OF THE LOGOS (30): REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT, YEAR 1

When God Blesses the Outsider Before You

First Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-15
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 41(42):2-3,42:3-4
Gospel: Luke 4:24-30
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It’s not easy to watch someone else receive what you’ve been praying for. You’ve fasted, stayed faithful, served diligently, obeyed the rules, and yet the one who barely knows God or has no connection to the Church receives the breakthrough, the job, the healing, the restoration. It stings, especially when it happens publicly. Deep down, we might not say it out loud, but we feel it: “Why them, Lord? Why not me first?” This tension is real. It’s the frustration of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son. It’s the bitterness of the daylong labourer in the vineyard who sees the one-hour worker receive equal pay. Today’s liturgical readings go straight to the heart of this spiritual struggle and challenge us with a hard truth: God’s blessings are not given on the basis of seniority, history, or religious background, but according to the openness of the heart. Sometimes, God chooses to bless the outsider, not to exclude the insider, but to expose what entitlement and presumption can hide. The question is not just why He blesses them, but what our reaction reveals about us.

In the First Reading (2 Kings 5:1–15ab), Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram – a pagan military leader and sworn enemy of Israel, comes to Elisha, the prophet of God, seeking healing from leprosy. The sitz im leben (life setting) is politically and religiously charged: Naaman represents foreign power and military oppression, while Israel is weakened and scattered. He comes not by faith but by the word of a slave girl – an Israelite taken captive in war. The irony is piercing. Israel’s blessing is being sought and accessed by a foreigner through the voice of a powerless servant girl. Naaman nearly walks away in pride when told to bathe in the Jordan – a river he considers inferior. The Hebrew root word ṭāhēr (טָהֵר), meaning “to cleanse” or “purify,” is key here: his physical healing required more than a ritual, it demanded surrender. Once he obeys, he is cleansed, healed, and ends up confessing faith in the God of Israel. This story confronts the insiders – those within the covenant, with a disturbing reality: the one they might despise or dismiss may receive God’s blessing first, not because he is better, but because he is humbler and willing to obey. Grace is not inherited; it must be received.

The responsorial psalm (Psalm 42/43) expresses a deep longing for God: “My soul is thirsting for the living God” – a cry that could have been spoken by Naaman after his healing. But it also invites Israel, and us, to question whether we still thirst for God with that same urgency or if we’ve grown accustomed to His presence. The psalmist seeks light and truth to be led to God’s dwelling, implying a journey, not just a position. While insiders assume they already dwell there, the outsider approaches with hunger and humility.

This prepares us for the Gospel (Luke 4:24–30), where Jesus, in His hometown of Nazareth, shocks His listeners by recalling that during the time of Elisha, no leper in Israel was healed, only Naaman the Syrian. The sitz im leben here is one of nationalistic pride and religious entitlement. The people expected signs and miracles because Jesus was “one of them.” But Jesus exposes their hearts and reminds them that God has always moved beyond boundaries when faith within those boundaries dried up. The Greek word xenos (ξένος), meaning “foreigner” or “outsider,” underlies the discomfort here. Jesus suggests that God may move toward the xenos if the familiar reject Him. Rather than rejoice in God’s mercy, the crowd becomes furious. They try to kill Jesus, not because He lied, but because He told the truth about their spiritual arrogance.

The first lesson is that God’s blessings are governed by His mercy, not by our history. We often think that years in the Church, our suffering, or our religious efforts entitle us to certain graces. But God looks at the heart. If we are full of pride, resentment, or a lack of spiritual hunger, we might find ourselves bypassed. The blessings we think are “ours” by default may go to those who are willing to listen, obey, and surrender, even if they are far from our tradition. The grace of God is not a family heirloom, it’s a living invitation to faith.

The second lesson is that our reaction to others’ blessings often reveals the state of our own hearts. The people in Nazareth were not just surprised, they were enraged. Why? Because the outsider’s inclusion exposed their own spiritual stagnation. Instead of asking, “How can I return to deeper faith?” they tried to silence the messenger. If seeing others blessed makes you bitter, it may be a sign that you’re more entitled than grateful. God’s work in others is not a threat to you, it’s a call to awaken and respond.

Finally, this Gospel reminds us that God’s mission has always reached beyond walls. Naaman was healed. The widow of Zarephath was fed. The centurion’s servant was restored. If we, the supposed insiders, reject the invitation to deeper repentance, God will still move, just not through us. Lent is not a time to compare or compete; it is a time to open. Open your heart, your mind, your assumptions. And if God blesses someone you least expect, let it not provoke envy, but inspire repentance. For when God blesses the outsider before you, He may be knocking on the door of your heart too.

O that today you would listen to his VOICE, harden not your hearts! (Ps. 95:7)

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Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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