The responsorial psalm for today proclaims: “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.” And in the first reading, that saving power touches Naaman, the Aramean general. Aram and Syria essentially refer to the same land and people. “Aram” is the Hebrew name for the region known as Syria, and the Arameans were the ancient Syrians.
Naaman was a mighty man: an army commander of the king of Aram, feared and respected. Yet, behind the medals, rank, and armor, he was powerless against one enemy: leprosy. In his time, leprosy meant living with disfigurement, stigma, and despair. No doctor, no medicine, no rank, no wealth, no military strategy could heal him. Then came a whisper of hope, passed through the ears of his wife, about a prophet in Israel who could heal.
In Naaman’s household, there was a little Israelite slave girl, taken captive in war. One day, she saw her master’s suffering and spoke up: “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy” (2 Kings 5:3). Naaman’s wife heard this girl’s words and passed them on to her husband. Imagine it: the future of a great general hanging on the faith of a nameless slave girl and the compassion of a wife who dared to believe the slave girl. That was the first crack in the army general, Naaman’s pride.
Sometimes, God speaks through the least likely voices. Naaman listened to the words from the slave girl. He went to his king, who sent him with gifts and a letter to Israel’s King. But instead of receiving a cure, he found himself being redirected to the prophet Elisha. When Naaman finally stood before Elisha’s house, the prophet did not even come out to meet him. Instead, a messenger brought a simple command: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean” (2 Kings 5:10).
Naaman was furious; he felt insulted. Was this all? No incense, no ritual, no sacrifice of an animal, no dramatic gesture; just muddy water? He said, “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?” (2 Kings 5:12). Pride nearly robbed him of his healing. But once again, humble voices saved him. His servants reasoned with him: “If the prophet told you to do something extraordinary, would you not do it? [How much more when all he said was, ‘wash, and be clean’?]” (2 Kings 5:13).
Naaman finally surrendered. He stepped into the muddy waters of the Jordan, dipped seven times, and came out with skin like that of a child. But beyond the healing of his body was the conversion of his heart. He returned to the prophet Elisha and confessed: “Now I know that there is no god in all the earth except in Israel.” Here is the miracle behind the miracle: God turned Naaman’s sickness into a doorway of faith. He used the voices of a servant girl, a wife, and loyal companions to bring him to humility and then to healing. A man who once bowed to false gods now worshiped the God of Israel. Truly, as the responsorial psalm says, “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”
And now, my brother, my sister, my friend: you who are sick, you who feel weighed down by pain or illness, physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, or financially, let me speak to you. I know sometimes you feel like Naaman: strong on the outside but wounded deep within. You may have tried many doctors, many treatments, many remedies, and still the sickness lingers. You may feel forgotten, hopeless, and even angry with God. But hear this: just as God placed that little girl in Naaman’s house, God has placed voices around you, perhaps a loved one, a doctor, a priest, or even these very words today, to remind you that your story is not over.
I prophesy over you: the Lord will bring you into contact with your “Prophet Elisha,” the one who will direct you to your Jordan River, where the power of God flows. It may not come the way you expect. It may require humility, trust, and even obedience to something simple. Your Jordan River awaits you; it requires you not to give up and to step into it in faith. God’s power often hides in what looks ordinary. Naaman almost missed his miracle because the answer did not look spectacular. And how frequently do we risk the same mistake?
Your Jordan River may look like a font of holy water. You dip your fingers and make the sign of the cross, an action so simple you might overlook it. But hidden there is divine cleansing, protection, and a reminder that you belong to Christ.
Your Jordan River may be the sacrament of reconciliation: you go to a quiet room to confess your sins. All you see is a priest, an ordinary human being like you, and you hear him say words that may seem too ordinary to change anything. Yet there, Christ himself stretches out his hand to say: “Be clean!”
Your Jordan River may be the Holy Eucharist, bread and wine that look ordinary, routine. Yet in them flows the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, medicine for immortality, and healing for body and soul.
Your Jordan River may be a moment of prayer, a rosary bead slipping between your fingers, a crucifix on your wall, or a miraculous medal under your pillow. Ordinary channels, yet through them God releases extraordinary grace.
My dearly beloved in Christ, so, let me ask you: where is God inviting you to dip in faith? Where is your Jordan River? Do not let pride, doubt, or routine keep you away. Step in. Trust him. And you will rise like Naaman, renewed, restored, and healed in body, spirit, and soul. The psalm declares: “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.” And that power is still alive today. Your Jordan River awaits you. Will you step in?
Homily for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 2025
Thank you Father for your impactful work — your last two sermons have helped me greatly in focusing on living faith. God bless you.