The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the power of contemplative prayer as a path to engage both our pursuit of fullness of life and our mortality.
Life on our journey
In the reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel, Daniel is saved from the Lions.
* [6:8–11] The Jews of the second century B.C. could relate the king’s attempt to force upon them, under pain of death, the worship of a foreign deity to the decrees of Antiochus IV; cf. 1 Mc 1:41–50.1
The response from the Book of Daniel is the Prayer of Azariah.
* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures.2
The Gospel of Luke describes the destruction of Jerusalem and foretells the coming of the Son of Man.
* [21:20–24] The actual destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 upon which Luke and his community look back provides the assurance that, just as Jesus’ prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption (Lk 21:27–28). * [21:24] The times of the Gentiles: a period of indeterminate length separating the destruction of Jerusalem from the cosmic signs accompanying the coming of the Son of Man.3
Tom Shanahan, S.J. comments that the rest of the eschatology quartet are: (death), judgement, heaven, and hell. Weighty issues for sure! Many of us may remember the painting of the pious monk contemplating a skull on his desk in his poor cell.
“readiness” seems to me to be the key to the impact on us all as we face our own ultimate dying and entrance into a new life. How does a person get ready for a moment like that? Maybe the painting of the monk praying in his severe cell with a human skull can be helpful. The story may be a tad off-putting in our contemporary age, but it seems to me the monk’s action shows the way he faced his death. Like him we too are challenged by the death of friends/relatives when we peruse the obituaries. Let that challenge be a source of letting God into our minds and hearts as we contemplate our own situation and open ourselves to Christ’s ongoing call to us in faith and to the Holy Spirit who empowers us with fidelity and courage.4
Don Schwager quotes “The signs have been accomplished,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The signs given in the Gospel and in prophecy and fulfilled in us show the coming of the Lord... We know that the coming is near by the fact that we see the fulfillment of certain signs of that coming that have been accomplished... The signs that Christ told them to look for are listed in the Gospel of Saint Luke: 'Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the nations are fulfilled.' This has happened and no one doubts that it has happened... It is plain that there is no country or place in our time that is not harassed or humbled according to the words 'for fear and expectation of what will come on the whole world.' All the signs that the gospel describes in the earlier verses have mostly been accomplished." (excerpt from Letter 198)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Daniel 6:12-28 comments that it’s not easy to pray every day let alone praise God when circumstances are frightening. But like Daniel, we can build a habit of praising the Lord on ordinary days so that we will instinctively turn to him in hard times. Through the habit of daily praise, we can come to understand, as Azariah did, that frost and chill, nights and days, light and darkness can all be opportunities to praise God (Daniel 3:69, 71, 72).
Whether you are in the comfort of your home or the isolation of a prison cell, you can still praise the Lord. The words may feel hard to say, but they can bring you closer to God: “In sickness and health, I will praise you, Lord. In my mourning and rejoicing, I praise you. All alone and with my loved ones, I praise you. In pain and at peace, I praise you, Lord.” God is with you; he will bless your efforts to lift up words of praise. He will strengthen you with the grace you need to trust him, even while you wait for your deliverance. “Lord, I will bless you in good times and in bad times. I praise and exalt you above all forever.”6
Friar Jude Winkler explains that the text from Daniel, set in Babylon during the Exile, speaks to the persecution of the Jews begun in the 2nd Century BCE by the Selucid Emperor. The apocalyptic text in Luke is not literal but encourages our reflection on our end time. Friar Jude reminds us to be aware that Jesus will call us home to Him in our own lives.
Brian McLaren reflects on the spiritual journey as a quest for aliveness. Ann Ulanov is a noted Jungian scholar, theologian, and therapist. She writes about “aliveness” as the key to transformation.
In the New Testament words, the pearl of great price [Matthew 13:45–46] is what we sell all we have for the sake of; riches, fame, security do not ensure simple happiness in being, only this precious aliveness. What, then, is that pearl of great price? It is feeling alive and real, vibrantly the aliveness that belongs to each of us. [1].… What we all want is pretty simple, really. We want to be alive. To feel alive. Not just to exist but to thrive, to live out loud, walk tall, breathe free. We want to be less lonely, less exhausted, less conflicted or afraid . . . more awake, more grateful, more energized and purposeful. We capture this kind of mindful, overbrimming life in terms like well-being, shalom, blessedness, wholeness, harmony, life to the full, and aliveness. . . .The quest for aliveness is the best thing about religion, I think. It’s what we’re hoping for when we pray. It’s why we gather, celebrate, eat, abstain, attend, practice, sing, and contemplate. When people say “I’m spiritual,” what they mean, I think, is simple: “I’m seeking aliveness.” [2]7
Transcending time and space, Jesus offers us fullness of life today and faith provides the hope of eternal unity with Christ and the communion of saints.
References
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