ON THE HEALTH OF OTHERS (B: 17th Sun in Ord Time)

First Reading: 2 Kgs 42-44 (25 July 2021)

The First Reading today talks about one of the several miracles performed by the prophet Elisha in the narrative of 2 Kings 4–5. In 4:1-7, Elisha had pity on a certain widow of one of the guild prophets, whose children were endangered from being enslaved due to her deceased husband’s debts. Aware of this predicament, Elisha gave the widow a reliable source of income, instructing her, “Pour the oil into all the vessels, and as each is filled, set it aside” (v. 4). With her ensuing abundant supply of oil, she was able to pay her husband’s creditors (v. 7).

This event was proceeded by Elisha’s encounter with a Shunammite couple (4:8-37), who was childless for a long period. True to his prophecy that the wife would soon conceive, a baby boy was born to her in the following year (v. 17). However, that child died at a very young age, setting her off to look frantically for the prophet’s immediate help (vv. 22-30). After praying to the Lord and performing a special ritual on the lifeless boy,

“Elisha stretched himself over the child, [and] the boy’s flesh became warm” (v. 34).

In the next scene in Gilgal, Elisha initiated the feeding of the guild of prophets (4:38-41) by ordering his servant to cook a vegetable stew for them. However, the wild vines used as ingredients were unknowingly poisonous. Elisha intervened by throwing some flour to the dish “and there was no longer anything harmful in the pot,” (v. 41) becoming safe for all to eat.

What followed was his famous multiplication of the bread (4:41-44). In so doing, he asked the twenty barley loaves brought by someone from Baal-shalishah to be distributed to the hundred men. Despite the disparity between the provisions and their partakers, all ate to their heart’s content and there was even

“some left over, according to the word of the Lord” (v. 44).

The text of 2 Kings 5 deals solely with the curing of an Aramean commander, Naaman, who was a leper (v. 1). Learning from his servant-girl that a powerful prophet in Samaria could cure him, Naaman asked the king of Aram to send him to the king of Israel to seek healing (vv. 4-5). Obeying Elisha’s prescription for him to plunge into the Jordan river seven times, Naaman was cured of his illness (v. 14) and was converted to believe in the God of Elisha (v. 17).

I see one basic commonality among all these wonders performed by Elisha, and that is

his urgency in attending to the physical health of anyone regardless of social class, ethnic provenance, gender, status, and circumstances.

He would readily do it for an army commander but such was also for a poor widow. He would respond to the need of an individual, a family, a guild of prophets, or a multitude of people. He would perform it to a fellow Israelite as well as to any foreigner. Moreover, he made all of these with the assistance of the slave Gehazi and the special participation of ordinary people like the man from Baal-shalishah. In sum, in exemplifying charity, Elisha was never selective of the situation nor the personalities involved.

In our pandemic context today that has hurled human poverty, misery, and economic difficulties to exponential heights,

let us not be selective in rendering services and extending charity to others. The most important thing to be concerned for is each one’s physical health.

Let us, then, set aside politicking for the time being, and focus on ensuring food to every mouth.

- Rex Fortes, CM