“WALK DAILY WITH JESUS”, 09/03/26, (Monday, 3rd Week of Lent in Year A. Also, Optional Memorial of Saint Frances of Rome, Married Woman, Religious Founder).

PRAYER: “MAY YOUR UNFAILING COMPASSION, O LORD, CLEANSE AND PROTECT YOUR CHURCH, AND, SINCE WITHOUT YOU SHE CANNOT STAND SECURE, MAY SHE BE ALWAYS GOVERNED BY YOUR GRACE. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.

2Kgs 5:1-15; Ps 41:2-3; 42:3-4 and Lk 4:24-30.

Today, we reflect on 2 Kings 5:1-15, which is about the cure of Naaman the Leper. Elisha, the Prophet, suggests a simple procedure to cleanse Naaman’s leprosy even though the soldier (Naaman) wants or expects something more personal, more elaborate and more heroic or dramatic. The second passage we reflect on is Luke 4:24-30, where Jesus’ own people reject him after he affirms in the synagogue that he is the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus tells them that no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Initially, Naaman was not pleased with the simple instructions given to him by Elisha as a treatment for his illness. Being a hero, he was probably expecting a heroic or dramatic cure. God often sends his help and assistance to unexpected people whom we may think are not worthy. Also, sometimes, God uses insignificant and unexpected people (according to human standards), who we may think are not worthy to carry out his wonderful ways.

This initial attitude of Naaman, the Syrian Leper who left in rage (5:12), because he thought the cure for his disease was too simple, and the attitude of the Jews of Nazareth and Jerusalem, rejecting Jesus because they claimed to have known him as the son of Joseph and Mary, are still prevalent in our generation, particularly in the Church.

Do people still believe in the Catholic Church? Do we believe that God continues to work wonders and miracles in the Catholic Church? Do we believe that God, through the Sacraments in the Church, together with the sacramentals, continues to work wonders and miracles in the Church? Do we believe that the Eucharist can work lots of miracles in our lives? Do we believe that God, through His Priests in the Catholic Church performs wonders and miracles for his people? If you do not believe this, what about the Holy Spirit using the Priests to transform natural bread and wine into the Eucharist, that Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ?

The Lord continues to use His Priests in the Church to bring blessings, healing, exorcisms and deliverance to His people. It all depends on faith. You do not have to go anywhere to receive your wonders and miracles. God continues to work wonders and miracles in our lives through the Church, but because we do not have faith we do not see or realise these wonders and miracles.

Lack of faith, or sometimes little faith leads us to look for heroic and dramatic signs, wonders and miracles in the world in order to believe. That is why so many of us very often run here and there, hopping from one church to another, from one pastor to the next, expecting wonderful signs. Sacramentals like anointing oil, holy water, etc. which originated from the Catholic Church have been re-labelled as ‘Anointing Water’, ‘Anointing Oil with different efficacies’, and what have you, with the mentality that these are more powerful and can result in dramatic miracles and wonders than what we have in the Catholic Church.

People are paying exorbitantly for these so-called miraculous religious items. That is not all. People have to pay all sorts of expensive fees in order to receive manifestations, miracles and wonders: membership fees, gate fees, consultation fees, etc. When they are not pushed down when being prayed for, and also when there is no shouting, no singing, dancing and jumping, it means no miracles and wonders will work.

Please, once again, believe in your Church and believe in the Priests that God chose and ordained in your Church as His servants and instruments of His wonders and miracles. The Catholic Priests seem to be powerless in our contemporary world, probably due to “the familiarity breeds contempt” syndrome. Jesus got that from his own people. Let us pray during this season of Lent for deep and strong faith in God, for with faith, we can move mountains.

Also, in faith, the Lord will work wonders, miracles and healing in us, and we shall surely receive our expected manifestations, Amen. May Saint Frances intercede for us. Stay blessed.

WE MEDITATE TODAY, MONDAY, ON THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE ANNUNCIATION, THE VISITATION, THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE AND THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE’. (LET US PRAY FOR HUMILITY, LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR, POVERTY IN SPIRIT, OBEDIENCE AND JOY IN FINDING JESUS) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.

PRAYER: “MAY COMMUNION IN THIS YOUR SACRAMENT, WE PRAY, O LORD, BRING WITH IT PURIFICATION AND THE UNITY THAT IS YOUR GIFT. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.

Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com