To be honest I am not typically the
biggest fan of prayer through scripture but when I was reflecting on today’s
reading and gospel in order to write this blog I found that it was very
relevant to my life and my own Lenten journey right now.
I
won’t quote the whole Gospel passage for you but long story short Jesus is
preaching in the synagogue using examples of the prophets (like the story of
Elisha and Naaman from the first reading) and ends with the quote, “No prophet
is accepted in his own native place”. Then basically everyone gets pissed and
they try to kill Jesus…end Gospel. So what does this mean? I think that we too
often get angry like the people in the synagogue when we do not feel like the
chosen ones; like when the prophets aren’t healing those form their own land;
like when Jesus favors a Gentile as much as a Jew. Lent is a very personal and reflective time
but something to keep in mind is that it is not just about you. I think we need
to remember that God is in all people, that God chooses all people, and that
God loves all people. You should not think of yourself as better than another
because you are doing more for your Lenten journey, sacrificing more, fasting
more, going to mass more. It is easy to get caught up in oneself and the “more”
that you are doing and easy to forget that God is showing himself through
others around you. Too easily we judge and criticize others who are just as
loved and chosen by God, and too easily we fail to recognize the voice of God
through these others. As we reach our almost-halfway point in Lent, I would
encourage you to not only reflect on your own journey thus far but to reflect
on how others have impacted your journey and how you can start to see God
through all people at all times.
