The document summarizes a Bible passage about a young Israelite slave girl who shows compassion for her leprous master Naaman. Though suffering as a kidnapped slave herself, the girl discreetly suggests to Naaman's wife that he see the prophet Elisha, who she believes can cure his leprosy. This small act of hope sparks a chain of events, as Naaman's wife tells her husband, who then sees the king and is cured by Elisha. The girl represents the anonymous people throughout history who, through their own suffering, offer hope to others. Her example demonstrates how initial proclamation can begin from humble places and people.

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“If only my master would present himself to the prophet …”
(2 Kings 5: 3)
The first proclamation as an offer of hope
Sr. Maria Ko
What is Initial proclamation? Among all the comments about its importance
and timeliness; among the elements of content and methodology that we are trying to individuate in these days,
one characteristic seems to be undisputable: an offer of joy and hope.
“Goodness always tends to spread. Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to
grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs
of others” (Evangelii Gaudium 9).The Good News of Jesus Christ in the heart enables the person to live the world’s
history with passion, compassion, and hope; to enter into the deeper questions of human existence; to be
sensitive to the expressions, often silent and discrete, of the search for meaning, for happiness; to value those
moments in which the man or woman is in special need of empathy, of company and of hope. These are
occasions that can turn into “thresholds of faith”.
The experience of fragility, of limitations, of vulnerability, of suffering, of weakness, of sickness, and of death can
be a kairòs, a favorable moment, a privileged place, in which to form a proposal of life and of love, an Initial
proclamation of Jesus Christ. The Bible passage we will meditate on today is illuminating in this regard.
Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through
him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had
captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. She said to her
mistress, “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went and told his master, “This is what the girl from the land of Israel said.” The king of Aram said, “Go. I
will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold
pieces, and ten festal garments. Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stopped at the door of Elisha’s
house. Elisha sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will
be clean.” So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of
God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to
the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”…. (2 Kings 5: 1-15)
Usually when we read this text, we focus on the protagonist, Naaman, on his miraculous healing and his
conversion to the one and true God. Today I want to draw your attention to a minor figure, to the little slave girl
who shows the way to life. It is she who initials a process that leads to a happy ending; it is she who stirs up new
hope.
The Israelite girl is anonymous. Young and defenseless, kidnapped, taken from her country and her loved ones,
deported to a foreign land and in slavery, she is too little, too insignificant to be remembered by name.
Surely, her suffering is no less than that of her leprous master. Nàaman, although he has the misfortune of an ugly
sickness, is a successful personage, highly placed in society, victorious in battle, an authority, esteemed by the
king, respected by the subjects, surrounded by family affection. The little slave, instead, must keep her suffering
to herself. She counts for nothing; her story of suffering, so common for those foreign slaves, attracts no one’s
attention. Her past is ignored by everyone; no one is interested in her family and her people, in her distant

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country with so many lovely traditions, culture and customs. Her memories, sentiments, dreams, and desires
cannot be shared with anyone.
The anonymity of this girl makes her the representative of numerous girls placed at the margins of society, of that
immense host of migrant children uprooted and alone, or of neglected indigenous children, or of the tens of
millions of minors who still today are exploited or are victims of traffickers. The situation of this little slave makes
us think particularly of St. Josephine Bakhita, kidnapped from Sudan, her country and sold as a slave four times.
But this small Israelite slave has a large and tender heart. Suffering has not made her closed and hard; on the
contrary, it has sharpened her sensitivity to the suffering of others. Differently from the priest and the Levite of
the parable of the Good Samaritan, the girl does not “passed by on the opposite side” with indifference, but “has
compassion”. She takes to heart the problem of those in whose heart she has no place. She knows how to give
the attention and interest she herself has never enjoyed. She knows how to share with others what she herself
ardently desires. “Oh, miracle, thus to be able to give what we ourselves do not possess, sweet miracle of our
empty hands”, so exclaims amazed and deeply moved the protagonist of George Bernanos’ book, The Diary of A
Country Priest. Our father Don Bosco did something similar: orphaned of his father, he became the father of
orphans, “father of the young” (Iuvenum patris).
Even the apostle Paul experienced this miracle of poverty. He writes of himself and of all those who, like him,
proclaim Christ with humility and dedication: “as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing
all things!” (2 Cor. 6: 10). It is God who transforms poverty into fonts of riches; who makes abundance flow from
nothing.
“If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” With the
simplicity and discretion typical of the humble and little ones, the girl offers her interest, her participation in the
problems of others, her companionship in suffering. She cares. Her proposal is made with refinement and delicacy:
a few words articulated in a conditional way. “If…” She does not invade, impose, or disturb, but indicates the way,
opens a space to the future, a possibility of change, of healing.
From her humility and poverty, the girl shares with others her most precious treasure: her trust in God. She offers
a ray of hope that flows from her faith and the rich spirituality of her people. And she does it with deep conviction:
“If… I am certain”.
The words of the slave, discrete and sure, immediately provoke surprising reactions: it goes from person to
person, creating a chain of communication and solidarity. The girl addresses her mistress, Nàaman’s wife. The
wife hurries to communicate the news to her husband Nàaman; he goes to his king. The king of Aram then
solicitously writes a letter of recommendation to the king of Israel, while the servants of Naaman hurry to prepare
for the master’s journey. Finally, Nàaman reaches Elisha and, after a bit of skepticism, he does what the prophet
tells him to do and obtains the desired cure. Not only this: he also discovers the true God. In fact, he sincerely
confesses at the end: “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel” (2 Kings 5: 1-15). The
effect goes far beyond the knowledge or awareness of the little girl. She humbly made her initial step and God did
the rest in a surprising way.
The story ends in joy: with a fruitful ‘first proclamation’. The happy ending, however, must not make us forget the
beauty of the beginning. Everything has begun with a small girl who, after having sown life and hope, again
disappears into silence and is no longer mentioned. There is neither name nor face left, but only the traces of a
luminous trail in history. How many men and women have followed her example! How many anonymous
collaborators of God there are! How many humble, simple but efficacious actors of Initial Proclamation there are,
even today in our midst, in our Salesian Family!