3rd MONDAY OF LENT - Gospel (Luke 4:24-30) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Mar 10
- 6 min read
FIRST READING - 2 Kgs 5:1-15ab
"His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."
A reading from the Second Book of Kings
1 Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.[a] 2 Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 Naaman went and told his master, “This is what the girl from the land of Israel said.” 5 The king of Aram said, “Go. I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
6 He brought the king of Israel the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone for me to cure him of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” 8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand there to call on the name of the Lord his God, and would move his hand over the place, and thus cure the leprous spot. 12 Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?”[b] With this, he turned about in anger and left.
13 But his servants came up and reasoned with him: “My father, if the prophet told you to do something extraordinary, would you not do it? All the more since he told you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 4:24-30
"Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place."
From the Gospel according to Luke
24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 [a]Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 [b]It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
3rd MONDAY OF LENT - Gospel (Luke 4:24-30)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God lets humanity know that The Word of God is always fulfilled in life throughout all ages, which is: “No prophet is accepted in his own native place,” right from the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, then to the time of Jesus, and it is the same today.
God reveals that the Word of God is always proclaimed to all people throughout the world.
He does not limit His preaching to a single place, a particular country, or any diocese or parish.
God is the Lord of all creation; He created this entire universe, and so all things belong to God.
He is the common Father of all humanity, so all people are children of God and brothers and sisters to one another, as Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven.”
Blessed is the land where God is born!
Blessed is the nation that God has chosen as His inheritance.
Blessed is the land where God chooses His prophets.
And truly blessed is the nation where God establishes His plan of salvation.
But because human hearts remain proud, arrogant, and self-complacent, people claim, “I am intelligent and know everything, I know the origins and the dwelling places of the prophet.”
Similarly, the Jewish people of old believed they knew Jesus was just an ordinary man, the son of Mary and Joseph, the carpenter, with nothing special about Him.
Their pride had blinded their eyes of faith, preventing them from seeing how powerful and authoritative Jesus' works, miracles, and teachings are.
That is why they did not accept Jesus as the Prophet of God, nor as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who came into the world to become man.
In this day and age, God uses Chu Thien Thuong as the one who writes down the Word of God’s teachings for humanity.
And this prophet, just like Jesus in the past, is also not recognized.
They claim that Chu Thien Thuong is just an ordinary person, someone also full of sin; therefore, they do not accept or recognize the works that God is using Chu Thien Thuong to call everyone to repent, do penance, and return to God.
When God uses His Spirit to move Chu Thien Thuong's hand to write His Word, this Word of God has the divine power and might to cast out demons, making them afraid and forcing them to obey.
And because it is the Word from God, those who believe and live according to His teachings receive the grace of repentance, abandoning the path of sin and returning to God.
Right here in this homeland of Vietnam, they also fail to recognize the miracles that God has manifested at the House of God the Father to save sinful people from the captivity of Satan, who is rampaging everywhere in this age.
But God reveals that His power and mercy are not limited to the land of Bao Loc but will continue to spread throughout the entire world.
God calls His prophets in this age to be courageous, remain steadfast in faith, and accept all insults.
Do not fear any power, for even Jesus Himself was rejected and driven away by the leaders in His own homeland; but it is precisely because of that rejection that God's plan and grace of His salvation have been, are being, and will be made known to many people and many nations throughout the world.
In this age, those who believe that God uses Chu Thien Thuong to write the Real Presence Word of God, and who practice those teachings of God, will also be saved by Him.
They will be healed by Him in both soul and body, delivered from demons that are rampaging and controlling their bodies, and will live in peace and happiness with God in this life and the next.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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