Witness a Relationship on the Path

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents texts from the Book of Daniel which encourage us to call out to God during difficult times on the journey to Life in communion with the Divine. We pray for the type of favourable response which Shadrack,  Meshach and Abednego received when they were cast in the furnace for failure to obey the command to worship other gods. Friar Jude Winkler places the authorship of this text in the time of the Seleucid Empire based in Assyria. Israel was under pressure from this empire to adhere to the common religion of the empire. Today modern religions like individualism, hedonism and mediocrity have been placed before us for our worship. The challenge of living and testifying to the Way of Jesus is real today. The Gospel of John identifies the slavery we accept when we do not hear the Word which calls us to freedom from the habits and addictions which support the modern ethic of things that feel good should be done. Our blindness to the mission of Jesus will take us to experiences of emptiness where we repress the indwelling Spirit which is seeking intimacy with the Divine Spirit. Jesus calls us to follow Him and  live the will of the Father which brings us into the relationships within the Body of Christ to the Father and to our brothers and sisters where we live and proclaim mercy, compassion and love for all.