By Naresh Namindla, CSC –
Readings: 2Kgs 5: 1-15; Lk 4: 24-30
Have you ever laughed over an old joke? It is difficult to laugh over an old joke that we have heard before. But it can bring a new kind of laughter on face, if you listen to it with an open heart.
This is what exactly happened to the people in Nazareth. They saw only an old Jesus who had a family background in their village, with his occupation and siblings. But they failed to understand the heavenly background with which Jesus spoke. Because people were not open to the words of Jesus, they failed to see the divine spirit in him.
They also were not open to the presence and power of Jesus that stood in front of them, that could bring blessings and healings to them. Instead they tried to put him to death by pushing him over the hill. Their own attitude was the block for them to experience Jesus. Old Testament reference in the gospel and the first reading are good examples to understand the result of an open minded heart.
We see the army commander Naaman whose heart was open to the words of the servant of his wife drove him to listen to the prophet Elisha through whom he got healing. Thus, today’s liturgy invites us to be open minded to the new ways and messages that the gospel and the world would bring to us every day of our lives.