12 October 2025 #interesting
The entire story of Naaman is far more interesting than the tidbit we hear in the first reading. Naaman, the mighty army commander, right-hand-man and highly-regarded-friend of the King of Aram, has a huge problem: he’s contracted leprosy. Naaman’s wife has a slave-girl, a young Israelite woman kidnapped from her home and forced into servanthood. This young foreigner knows Naaman and his wife’s distress because of the alienation that will become them all when Naaman’s leprosy worsens and cannot be hidden. The young girl says to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria [Elisha]! He would cure of him of his leprosy.”
Hard stop. A kidnapped slave-girl giving her captor the solution to his intimate and career-threatening illness? Wouldn’t that be something akin to treating your neighbor as yourself, even when the neighbor is an enemy? Yep.
The desperate Naaman takes her recommendation to the King of Aram, who writes a letter seeking an introduction to this prophet… but sends it to the King of Israel instead of Elisha. The King thinks it’s a Trojan-horse move to test his power and denies the request.
Hard stop. A communications error? Our slave-girl clearly says ‘prophet,’ but the King of Aram writes and pays tribute to the King of Israel, who’s never cured a man of leprosy in his life. Wouldn’t that be something akin to a misunderstanding of motives that divides a family, a company, or a nation? Yep.
Luckily, Elisha hears of the error and intervenes. Naaman arrives at Elisha’s gate and sends his servant into the compound to announce his presence. The servant returns with a message: ‘The holy man says to leave this place and go wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times.’ Naaman is furious that Elisha doesn’t come out and cure him on the spot, as Naaman’s reputation demands an immediate cure with a personal touch. So Naaman leaves.
Hard stop. Naaman is upset that this prophet doesn’t pay him homage by speaking to him directly and solving his problem immediately? Wouldn’t that be something akin to being so arrogant that we don’t follow the Church on a moral topic we struggle with because we think we know better? Yep.
Naaman’s servant talks some sense into him. It’s super easy, he says. Try it, he urges. You can’t lose, he adds. And we arrive at today’s tidbit, the obedience – and curing - of Naaman. A humbled Naaman returns to Elisha, offering gifts in atonement for his behavior and recognizing the power of Elisha’s God. Elisha refuses the gift, for God did the healing not him.
Hard stop. Naaman tries to thank a human being for his heavenly cure? Wouldn’t that be something akin to putting all your faith in medicine and neglecting to thank the One who made it all possible? Yep.
Finally, Naaman asks for some holy earth of Israel to bring back to Aman. He’ll use it to worship the Lord and as a reminder of the healing that happened to him.
Hard stop. Naaman brings home a devotional to remind of him of God’s goodness? Wouldn’t that be something akin to having a home-altar, a crucifix, or a fridge covered in holy cards? Yep.
And all this spiritual growth happened because a young, kidnapped slave-girl wanted to make her master’s life better. #interesting