RBWords

     Naaman the Syrian in the first scripture and the Samaritan in the gospel scripture for today have two things in common.  They are both lepers and they are both outsiders.  Neither of them is a Jew.  The Samaritan would have been excluded from Jewish concern simply because he was a Samaritan, let alone because of his leprosy.  Jesus refers to him as a "foreigner!"   The passage from the Gospel According to Luke is usually read on Thanksgiving Day and that seems to be what the truncated passage from 2 Kings is emphasizing - thanksgiving!  But exclusion and mercy are very important in both passages.

     It didn't matter how much glory and victory Naaman had achieved in Syria.  His leprosy excluded him from normal social life.  One wonders, too, what happened to the Samaritan after he was healed.  At least he wasn't excluded from the group of lepers!  Would he continue to be a "foreigner?"  We aren't told, but the lesson remains the same.

     Whom do we exclude from God's mercy and ours?  Why?  Consider those who suffer from AIDS, especially when this illness first became well-known.  Consider those who are branded with all kinds of names and harassment because they are at the border and are not Anglo-Saxon and speak a different language than English.  Consider all those whom Jesus identifies as being his very self in Matthew 25:31-45 ("As often as you did it for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me.")  There are less dramatic forms of "social leprosy" which can also inflict suffering.  Instead of excluding and quarantining, can we offer mercy and help?  Pope Francis has challenged us to be a "field hospital for the sick and wounded" and not a club of spiritual elite.  Like Naaman, who was first insulted that he had to bathe in the Jordan, can we swallow our pride and do what the prophet challenges us to do?  The elaborate gratitude of Naaman and the Samaritan should be a clue to us as to what we need to do.  AMEN