“plunged in the Jordan River seven times”

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Saturday’s message was about repentance and forgiveness. No matter what we did, Christ was always will to take us back. Today’s reading (2 Kings 5:1-15) is an extension of the message. Naaman, a “highly esteemed and respected” army commander, was afflicted with Leprosy. In the time of the Old Testament, Leprosy was a disease which afflicted the unclean. People with Leprosy were separated from the rest of society. The body would be covered with sores which would not heal. Naaman was told that if he wanted to cure himself, he would need to present himself to the profit Elisha. Elisha said if you want to be cured, you will need to bath in the Jordan River seven times. So Naaman went down and “plunged in the Jordan River seven times” and was cured. Why did Naaman have to wash seven times? Why wasn’t once enough? Some would say that seven is a magic number, while others would say that his uncleanliness was so deep, that once was just not enough. Today’s message tells us that many times we must repent more than once for our sins. If we are afflicted with a sin that commands our body such as anger or gossip, one which has control over us, we may need to go to reconciliation multiple times before we are “cured” of this sin. It is difficult to break habits, but we should not give up. If our transgressions are ones of habit, then we need to make a habit out of reconciliation. As I said in Saturday’s message, Christ will always open his arms for us. Even if we are a repeat offender; there is nothing you can do that keeps the Lord from accepting you back into his fold. Jesus told us to forgive not just once, but “seven times seventy times.” He understands that we can be creatures of habit and some of those habits may be bad. He knows that breaking them is difficult and that we must change our attitude toward that sin before we can remove the tendency to commit that sin. Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 4:24-30) tells us that while Naaman was afflicted with Leprosy, he was not the only one. Yet, he was the only one that the Lord reached out to. He reached out to Naaman, because Naaman reached out to the Lord. He took a chance on the Lord, and the Lord showed him his great power. While there are many of us who are afflicted with sin, God is only going to reach out to those who desire his forgiveness. He is there for everybody, but not everybody is sorry for their sins. Reach out to the Lord, ask for his forgiveness. When you examine your conscience, focus on those sins which are habitual in nature, those which we find most difficult to give up. A Simple Prayer “Father, I praise you for your unfathomable mercy! You forgive me know matter how many times I fall! Pour your healing power on me so that I may grow in your love and grace!” Yours in Christ Michael Marcon