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40 Shades of Lent by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Third Week of Lent, 04 March 2024 2 Kings 5:1-15 ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> Luke 4:24-30
How amazing it is, God our loving Father, that Lent is often portrayed in shades of violet that signify "modesty" and "humility" - or, simply put, s-i-m-p-l-i-c-i-t-y.
May we rediscover in this Season of Lent the beauty and fulness of simplicity, of just being by our true self, without the ifs and buts, lovingly embracing our weaknesses and shortcomings, contented with our finite humanity you created as good.
Many times, we are like Naaman: despite our feelings of inadequacy deep within in contrast with our stature following our many accomplishments, we still insist on what is complicated, extraordinary and difficult which we often take as more grand and therefore, better.
With this, he (Naaman) turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him, “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:12b-14
Keep us simple, Lord, so we may believe more, trust more, dare more, and achieve more!
The world has gone so complicated even with life and relationships we have made into something like our technologies that accomplish so much but still empty; the world has gone so complicated and competitive that unfortunately, we take pride in being so even though deep within us we know it isn't good at all, for you, O God, is perfect because you are first of all simple. Amen.
