Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Have you ever heard the modern parable of the man asking to be saved from an oncoming flood? He prays to God, “save me!” Each time a set of rescuers come—a fireman, a boat, a helicopter—the man says, “no, God is going to save me.” The man dies from the flood and asks God, “why didn’t you save me?” God responds, “I sent a fireman, a boat, and a helicopter.” This story reminds me of the general Naaman in today’s first reading. Naaman doesn’t believe that God’s miracle could be so simple.
When we pray for God’s help, we often think it will come more like the plagues of Egypt rather than simple, ordinary moments. God rarely opens heaven, speaks from the clouds, tells us the right path forward, or sends an army of battle-ready angels to clear the road for us. Typically, he sends our friends, our family, a kind gesture of a stranger, or the ordinary ways in which a person might help another.
The question for us is this, can we recognize God working in the small ordinary ways of life? Can we pause, reflect, and see God in those around us who accompany us in our ups and downs as God’s gift? Let us be open to the ordinary as God’s gift.
Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources