Homily Third Monday of March (2Kings 5-15ab) “Mutual Respect-Lasting Peace”
Homily Third Monday of March (2Kings 5-15ab) “Mutual Respect-Lasting Peace”
Pope Francis went to Iraq the last few days on a mission of peace. He met with various religious leaders in that troubled country. Many people questioned whether he should go, but he was determined to visit. From early indications, his presence has brought hope.
The Christian community in Iraq is very ancient. Before the recent wars, Christians in Iraq numbered in the millions, but now there are no more than 300,000 Christians left. The rest have fled.
One of the stops Francis made was to the Aylatollah Ali al-Sisitani, one of the Shia Muslim leaders. Pope Francis went out of his way to meet with this religious leader at his home. The two talked for 45 minutes about the need for peace and understanding between Christians and Muslims. Both men believe in religious tolerance. Many Christians and Muslims would object to this type of dialogue. Such people might have the attitude that there is only one truth and only one way to look at God. Obviously, these men have another way of seeing things.
We see that Jesus had the same attitude. He refers to Naaman in the Gospel. The story of Naaman illustrates that respect between religions can bring about great miracles. Naaman was from Aram. He was not a Hebrew. He was a leper, and he sought a cure. A young Hebrew girl captive suggested that he visit Elisha the prophet.
Naaman humbled himself and he went to this leader of another religion. He asked for a cure. At first, he was offended by Elisha’s attitude, but he swallowed his pride and washed as Elisha instructed. In the end he was cured. He saw how great the God of Israel was and a friendship began.
We can only hope that the humility being shown between Muslim leaders and Francis will bear good fruit. Many wars have been fought between Christians and Muslims. What might happen if we walked the way of peace together?
Reflection Questions:
- How do I feel about persons of other faiths? Am I uncomfortable around them?
- Is there only one way to relate to God? Or are there many ways to achieve salvation?
Dear Parishioners,
It has been a long winter. The warmer temperatures and sunny skies bring us hope. I am sure that we are all anxious to get out and about. Since many of us are having COVID vaccines now we many feel braver about expanding our activities. Things will not open up all at once, however. It will be a slow gradual process. Many more people need to be inoculated.
We cannot let our guard down. I would encourage people to continue to follow protocols at Mass. We must strike a balance between encouraging people to engage in the life of the parish and at the same time to remain safe.
Hopefully, we can all be patient. People are still getting sick and still dying. We must respect COVID, but not let it overwhelm us.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark