OVERFAMILIARITY CAN BLOCK OUR BLESSINGS
From the experience of Naaman and the prophet Elisha in the first reading of today, we see it very clearly as it happens in our time too, that many people do not take things serious if it looks very simple. When Naaman approached Elisha to be cured of his leprosy, he expected to be told to do tough things before he will be cured, but since Elisha seemed too simple by telling him to just dip himself in a pool and be healed, he was disappointed. This is a proof that what God requires of us is very minimal compared to what God is ready to give to us.
I had an experience recently, a woman who had already had her rosary blessed by a priest walked up to me to bless the same rosary again. When I told her that I had seen the other priest bless the rosary, she said that she was not sure whether the priest blessed it well because the priest blessed it in a hurry because he was rushing for another mass in an outstation. This is the level of faith that many of us are, which is why many Christians are easily deceived by those who know how to magnify issues. Many people are deceived today by many religious leaders who interpret simple things as mysterious and make the people suffer for nothing. This is because we do not take simple things serious. That the sacrifice of the holy mass is the greatest mystery, prayer and gift of God to humanity, looks too simple to be true even for many Catholics. God does not make things hard for us but simple.
This was also the message of Jesus in the gospel reading of today. The people we see and interact with every now and then can look too simple to us that we do not regard that they carry with them much more than we can see. Jesus looked too simple for his own people that they did not regard him. No wonder he said that prophets are not respected among their own people. Let us not allow our over familiarity with God, the things of God and those closely connected to the mystery of God make us lose our blessings
*Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP*