A LITTLE GIRL

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 24 March 2014

A LITTLE GIRL

Pause. Be still in the presence of Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth.

Reading: “A little girl said to her mistress, ‘if only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria. He would cure him.’” (2 Kings 5:1-15, Luke 4:24-30)

Reflection. Twice in the story of Naaman the leper, who was cured by Elisha, we have “little people” telling “big people” what to do. The first is this little girl who had been carried off in a raid and she tells the army commander what to do and he does it. But at the point where Elisha gives his instructions Naaman doubts the wisdom of proceeding further until “his servants” plead with him to obey the prophet. When Jesus refers to this in the gospel the people of Nazareth are indignant. Why? Perhaps we are being told in the readings today to listen to signals from all sides. The salvation of the world will come when people are attentive to little people as well as great. There is a moment in Howard’s End by E M Forster where an old lady says, “If we could get all the mothers together we would have no more war.”

Prayer. Lord, help us to be attentive to the messages that sometimes come from unexpected quarters. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ