Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
2 Kings 5,1-15
Naaman, army commander to the king of Aram, was a man who enjoyed his master's respect and favour, since through him Yahweh had granted victory to the Aramaeans. But the man suffered from a virulent skin-disease. Now, on one of their raids into Israelite territory, the Aramaeans had carried off a little girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria! He would cure him of his skin-disease.' Naaman went and told his master. 'This and this', he reported, 'is what the girl from Israel has said.' 'Go by all means,' said the king of Aram, 'I shall send a letter to the king of Israel.' So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten festal robes. He presented the letter to the king of Israel. It read, 'With this letter, I am sending my servant Naaman to you for you to cure him of his skin-disease.' When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes. 'Am I a god to give death and life,' he said, 'for him to send a man to me and ask me to cure him of his skin-disease? Listen to this and take note of it and see how he intends to pick a quarrel with me.' When Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, 'Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will find there is a prophet in Israel.' So Naaman came with his team and chariot and drew up at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent him a messenger to say, 'Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.' But Naaman was indignant and went off, saying, 'Here was I, thinking he would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the part that was diseased. Surely, Abana and Parpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could I not bathe in them and become clean?' And he turned round and went off in a rage. But his servants approached him and said, 'Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason, then, when he says to you, "Bathe, and you will become clean." ' So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child. Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and, presenting himself, said, 'Now I know that there is no God anywhere on earth except in Israel. Now, please, accept a present from your servant.'
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The story of the healing of Naaman is one of the most famous episodes of the second book of Kings. Naaman (which in Hebrew means "fascinating") is a "great man" through whom the Lord had given victory to the Arameans. But he is suffering from leprosy. His family’s concern for him is great, as is the king’s. Obviously his human qualities, his social status, and his power have not erased his fragility. But among the deportees in his household there is a "young girl" from Israel. She suggested to Namaan’s wife to go to the prophet Elisha because he would be able to free him from leprosy. It is the faith of this "young girl" from Israel that starts the process that leads to the healing of the "great man" of Aram. It is one more confirmation of the effectiveness of faith, which is stronger than human power. Even if he has not understood the deeper meaning of the girl’s words, the king thinks that everything depends on the king of Israel. So he sends a delegation with lavish gifts to the sovereign of Israel in hopes that he will grant his request: ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. After reading the letter asking for the healing of the general, the king of Israel becomes angry: "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?" We could say that the king himself does not understand what is going on, as often happens to believers when they stop at the surface of events and do not try to understand human history in light of Holy Scripture. Elisha, however, is attentive to the Word of God and to the "signs" that the Lord sends. Once he learns of the affair, he corrects the king and sends for Naaman. Without leaving his house, he sends a messenger to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan. At the end of the seventh bath he would be healed. Naaman is taken aback and gets angry at such a simple invitation. He probably thinks it is just a simple therapeutic rite. In truth the act is exquisitely religious, because obedience to the word of the prophet signifies obedience to God himself. It was necessary to understand the most profound meaning of those words - the fact that they originated with God - and not stop at the surface. Otherwise it was obvious that the two rivers that flow through Damascus were much more important than the modest river Jordan. Naaman was convinced by his servants to carry out the words of the prophet to the letter and wash himself in the river seven times. Being obedient even without completely understanding was enough to defeat evil. In fact, after he had washed, "his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy." Naaman could be readmitted to the court and resume his ordinary life. But he was not only healed in his body. Naaman had understood that God was present in the words of the prophet. And then he made his profession of faith to the God of Israel: "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel." He wanted to take two mule-loads of the soil of Israel to bring [or lead] Syria to continue to praise the Lord. Rich gifts were not needed to obtain healing: it was enough to follow the suggestion of a "young girl" and obey the words of the prophet. The rich gifts brought in the name of the king were not needed; indeed, Elisha refused them. In our relationship with God, it is the heart that counts, and our faith in Him. Naaman obeyed what he was told and received full "liberation", and he becomes a sign of salvation for his people, too.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
