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| "The Brow of the Hill near Nazareth" -- by James Tissot |
FIRST
READING: 2 Kings
5: 1 - 15
1
Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man
with his master, and honourable: for by him the Lord gave deliverance
to Syria: and he was a valiant man and rich, but a leper.
2
Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive
out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman's
wife.
3
And she said to her mistress: I wish my master had been with the
prophet, that is in Samaria: he would certainly have healed him of
the leprosy which he hath.
4
Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying: Thus and thus
said tile girl from the land of Israel.
5
And the king of Syria sad to him: Go, and I will send a letter to the
king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of
silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and tell changes of raiment,
6
And brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: When
thou shalt receive this letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman
my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.
7
And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his
garments, and said: Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that
this man hath sent to me, to heal a man of his leprosy? mark, and see
how he seeketh occasions against me.
8
And when Eliseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the king
of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast
thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that
there is a prophet in Israel.
9
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of
the house of Eliseus:
10
And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times
in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thee shalt be
clean.
11
Naaman was angry and went away, saying: I thought he would hare come
out to me, and standing would hare invoked the name of the Lord his
God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed
me.
12
Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than
all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean?
So as he turned, and was going away with indignation,
13
His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had
bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how
much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt he
clean?
14
Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times: according to
the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the
flesh of a little child, and he was made clean.
15
And returning to the man of God with all his train, be came, and
stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God in
all the earth, but only in Israel.
PSALM:
Psalms 42:
2 - 3; 43:
3 - 4
2
As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth
after thee, O God.
3
My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come
and appear before the face of God?
3
Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have conducted me, and
brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles.
4
And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my
youth.
GOSPEL:
Luke 4:
24 - 30
24
And he said: Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his
own country.
25
In truth I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elias in
Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when
there was a great famine throughout all the earth.
26
And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a
widow woman.
27
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the
prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian.
28
And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with
anger.
29
And they rose up and thrust him out of the city; and they brought him
to the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they
might cast him down headlong.
30
But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.
