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March 13, 2023
In today’s readings, we can probably identify closely with Naaman the Syrian’s skepticism over being healed by bathing in a muddy river and with the people of Nazareth’s doubt over the identity of one of their own as the Messiah. However much we try to be open to God’s work in our lives, too often we limit God to how we think he should act: “God would not heal someone in a dirty river” or “the Messiah would not come from such an insignificant place like Nazareth.” In our lives, how often do we miss what God is telling us because we are determined to only look for him in certain places, through certain people, or in certain circumstances?
But as Naaman the Syrian sees after being healed in the Jordan and as the people of Nazareth will see by the end of the Gospel, God cannot be limited to our categories and preferences. Perhaps God is not as absent as we think in the monotony of daily life, but instead is present in all sorts of ways we are blind to. Who are the people in our lives we tend to ignore who may speak a word of God to us or where are the places where God reveals himself in a surprising way? So much of the spiritual life is simply about recognizing our "blind spots" so that we can encounter the Lord in a new way and venture out into the unknown with him. As we continue our Lenten journey toward Easter, may it be a time to receive the grace of seeing God in the unexpected places so that we may remove the limits we place on him and let him be God in our hearts and in the world.