Monday of the Third week of Lent

2nd book of Kings

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.
Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife.
"If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria," she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.
"Go," said the king of Aram. "I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy."
When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: "Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel."
Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.
The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."
But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy.
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he 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 you 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.
He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant."

Psalms

As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

St. Catherine of Sweden(Abbess (1330 + 1381))

SAINT CATHERINE OF SWEDEN Virgin(1331 to 1381) Catherine was the fourth child of St. Bridget and Ulf Gudmarsson. She was born in 1331 or 1332. At the age of 7, she was sent to the abbess of the convent of Riseberg for schooling. Catherine's father arranged her marriage to Eggart von Kürnen when she was around 14. When Catherine asked Eggart to join her in a vow of chastity, he agreed. They lived in a state of virginity and devoted themselves to charity and works of mercy. Catherine once accompanied St. Bridget to Rome in 1349. Soon after they arrived, Catherine received news that her husband had passed away in Sweden. Catherine then lived with St. Bridget and took an active part in the latter's ministry. She also zealously imitated her mother's asceticism. Many suitors pursued Catherine, but she had already consecrated her whole being to God. In 1372, she and her brother, Birger, accompanied St. Bridget on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After they returned, Catherine accompanied St. Bridget during the latter's final illness and death. In 1374, after interring St. Bridget's remains in Wadstena, Sweden, Catherine became the head of the foundation. The motherhouse of the Brigittine Order was based in Wadstena. It was also called the Bridgittine Order and the Order of St. Savior. Catherine managed the convent in accordance with St. Bridget's rule. She passed away on March 24, 1381.

Bl. Maria Karlowska(Foundress (1865-1935))

Blessed Maria Karlowska Religious(1865-1935) Maria Karlowska was born in the territories under Prussian occupation in 1865. She was a Good Samaritan to women who suffered material and moral deprivation. She quickly attracted a group of Christians and together they founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd of Divine Providence. The Sisters' goal is: "We must proclaim the Heart of Jesus, that is, so to live from him, in him and for him, as to become like him and that in our lives he may be more visible than we ourselves." The Foundress provided shelters for trafficked women and at-risk youth and girls. Her devotion to the Sacred Heart spread throughout the world and bears great fruit in those who cultivate it. Maria Karlowska loved the Church heroically. A love of this kind, according to her, will never say "enough," will never stop midway. She was beatified following a miraculous healing through her intercession. The miracle was verified by a medical board and offices for the causes of saints.

Saint Oscar Romero(Archbishop (1917 - 1980))

Saint Oscar Romero (1917 - , CardinalEarly lifeOscar Romero was born into a large family on August 15, 1917, in El Salvador. Although they had more money than many of their neighbors, Oscar’s family had neither electricity nor running water in their small home, and the children slept on the floor. Oscar’s parents could not afford to send him to school after the age of 12, so he went to work as an apprentice carpenter. He quickly showed great skill, but Oscar was already determined to become a priest. He entered the seminary at the age of 14 and was ordained a priest when he was 25 in 1942. Recognising the power of radio to reach the people, he convinced five radio stations to broadcast his Sunday sermons to peasant farmers who believed they were unwelcome in the churches.In 1970, he became Auxiliary Bishop in San Salvador. In 1974, he became Bishop of Santiago de Maria. At this time, Oscar Romero was described as a conservative, not wanting to break from tradition. He supported the hierarchy who encouraged conformity. He was uncomfortable with social action that challenged political leaders.Growing awarenessDuring his two years as Bishop of Santiago de Maria, Romero was horrified to find that children were dying because their parents could not pay for simple medicines. He began using the resources of the diocese and his own personal resources to help the poor, but he knew that simple charity was not enough. He wrote in his diary that people who are poor should not just receive handouts from the Church or the government, but participate in changing their lives for the future.In 1977, Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador, the capital city. The situation in El Salvador was becoming worse and he couldn’t remain silent any longer. The military were killing the Salvadorian people - especially those demanding justice - such as teachers, nuns and priests, and including Romero’s good friend, Fr. Rutilio Grande. Thousands of people began to go missing. Romero demanded that the President of El Salvador thoroughly investigate the killings, but he failed to act.Voice of the voicelessIn his actions and words, Oscar demanded a peace that could only be found by ensuring people had access to basic needs and their rights upheld. He raised awareness globally about the people in his country who had been killed or "disappeared." When he visited the Vatican in 1979, Oscar Romero presented the Pope with seven detailed reports of murder, torture, and kidnapping throughout El Salvador.In 1979, the number of people being killed rose to more than 3000 per month. Oscar Romero had nothing left to offer his people except faith and hope. He continued to use the radio broadcast of his Sunday sermons to tell people what was happening throughout the country, to talk about the role of the Church and to offer his listeners hope that they would not suffer and die in vain.MartyrdomOn March 23, 1980, after reporting the previous week’s deaths and disappearances, Oscar Romero began to speak directly to soldiers and policemen: “I beg you, I implore you, I order you... in the name of God, stop the repression!” The following evening, while saying Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot by an assassin. Only moments before his death, Romero spoke these prophetic words: “Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies.”

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