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no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
The Church gives us two stories today; both refer to the healing of the Syrian general Naaman, and both remind us to expect the unexpected.
And Christians sometimes wonder why people don't accept our gospel? It is shrouded in mystery. Although God's ways invariably make perfect sense in retrospect, they are almost always unpredicted in advance.
People who think they need reasons and explanations for everything, who want to have control of everything within and around them, are often the first to trip over the obvious.
Why was the world astonished by the Great Depression that fell upon us in 2008? Speculation, driven by greed and fear, without even a nod toward, much less deference to, the Holy Spirit, ended in catastrophe. And you say you're surprised? You couldn't see it coming? You thought the inflation of housing costs would go up and up?
No, you didn't think that. But you did think you would see the bust coming and get out in time. You thought you were in control.
Perhaps that is one reason why the Church disapproves of birth control. Suspicion of control is built into our DNA. Anything which is so manipulated, engineered and managed cannot work out well.
We're following Jesus to Jerusalem. Some of us have our doubts about the wisdom of this journey. Isn't he headed straight for trouble? Haven't there been innumerable warnings? His enemies are being backed to the wall by his offensive. There is going to be hell to pay.
With a sense of what is coming, Saint Thomas says, “Let us also go to die with him.”
Lent teaches us to expect the unexpected. We have seen Jesus rise from the dead. But what that means for us, how we might experience the resurrection in our own lives, none can imagine. We can only go with him and hope for the best.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.