One of the popular religious practices of Catholics in Singapore is going for pilgrimages, if we can afford it.
And there are numerous pilgrimage sites that we can go to, as well as a good number of pilgrimage tour agencies that will handle all the arrangements to make the pilgrimage as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
And of course, going for a pilgrimage can also be an opportunity to get souvenirs, whether it is from Holy Land or from Lourdes or from Fatima or from the Camino de Santiago.
And those souvenirs are typically religious items like statues, medals, rosaries and pictures. And we can even bring back water from Lourdes in little bottles.
But no matter which pilgrimage site that we go to, we are not likely to bring back two or three cartons of soil.
Maybe if we go to Holy Land, we would be contented with a small container of some grains of sand from the Holy Land, but not two or three cartons of soil. You are going to have a lot of explanation to do at a customs.
In the first reading, we heard of Naaman the leper. He went to Israel to look for cure and when he returned home, he had two mules carrying soil from Israel.
But no one was asking questions or laughing, and they dared not. Because Naaman was the commander of the mighty army of Syria, and he and his army often made forays into Israelite territory to pillage and plunder and bring back captives.
But this time he brought back soil. And we know why. He was healed of his leprosy, and more importantly he came to know who the Healer is.
But why the soil and not the waters of the Jordan in which he had immersed himself seven times and was cured of his leprosy.
In those times and even now, the understanding is that soil, or land, is a very profound sign of the Divine promise of inheritance, that it was God who gave the people the land.
So Naaman brought back soil from Israel as a reminder that it was in Israel that he was cured of the dreaded leprosy, and with that soil he was going to build an altar to worship the God of Israel.
Of course that is a very profound reason. But the soil was also a reminder of his mortality and that how the disease of leprosy had nearly brought him to his end, if not for the intervention of God.
But the soil was also a lesson of humility that he learned in Israel. When he was told to wash himself in the Jordan seven times, he raged and fumed. But his servants persuaded him to do it. After all it was such a simple thing to do.
But he needed to be humble and surrender himself to God. Of course, never talk about surrender to army generals. They won’t want to hear about it.
And incidentally, the Latin word for ground is humus, and from that word comes one of its derivatives and that is humility.
So it is in surrendering with humility that Naaman was cured, he found God, and he gained a thankful heart.
It is said that God has two dwellings: one is in heaven, and the other is in a humble and thankful heart.
So Naaman’s leprosy was cured and his heart was healed in that he now had a humble and thankful heart.
In the gospel, Jesus expressed surprise and disappointment that only one out of ten who were cured of their leprosy came back to give thanks to Him.
And that man was a Samaritan, a foreigner, and just like Naaman, he also received a humble and thankful heart. He threw himself at the feet of Jesus. He knelt on the ground before Jesus, the ground that had the same soil as Naaman took back to his country.
Today’s readings remind us of a spiritual disease, a spiritual leprosy that eats away at our faith and love, causing us to be proud and selfish.
And we can see the spots on this spiritual leprosy in our hearts.
- this resentment, this bitterness, this anger, this hurt
- this immoral relationship, this lustful addiction,
- this greed, this selfishness, this pride
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Yes, we know that there are spots of our spiritual leprosy. God wants to heal us but we must desire for it, we must know how to get it.
Back in the year 1917, in the land of Portugal, and in an obscure town of Fatima, Our Lady appeared to three peasant children from May to October, on the 13th of each month.
Her message was clear and urgent - Repentance, Confession, penance and prayer, especially the Rosary.
Because so many souls are lost to the devil and yet so little prayers are offered for the repentance and conversion of sinners.
Today is the 13th of October, the anniversary of the final apparition at Fatima. We don’t have to go to Fatima and bring back soil to express our desire for healing.
We begin by responding to the call to prayer, especially the prayer of the Rosary.
May the prayer of each bead of the Rosary cleanse us of our sins and may God grant us a humble and thankful heart.
And with a humble and thankful heart, let us offer reparation for the conversion of sinners, as we remember the prayer taught by our lady and Fatima - O my Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, take all souls to heaven especially those in need of your mercy.