The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today set our imagination in the experience of being persecuted.
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| Faithful to the heritage |
The setting from the Book of Daniel is that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace.
* [3:17] If our God…can save us: the youths do not question the efficacy of the divine power, but whether it will be exercised (v. 18).1
The Prayer of Azariah (aka Abednego) for deliverance from the furnace (Daniel 3:24–90) is lived today in the practice of the Liturgy of the Hours.
* [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
In the Gospel from John, Jesus declares those who reject Him as rejecting their heritage as sons of Abraham.
* [8:35] A slave…a son: an allusion to Ishmael and Isaac (Gn 16; 21), or to the release of a slave after six years (Ex 21:2; Dt 15:12).3
The USCCB Verse Before The Gospel (Luke 8:15) prays that “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.”
Thomas Lenz shares “Keeping the word” means that we keep God on the forefront of our thoughts and actions and to do so with a “generous heart”, or a readiness to give our best selves.
Generously keeping the word in our daily lives allows us to thrive in our daily lives. This changes our perspective from one of “getting through the day” to one of joyfully being present in the day - being blessed! Isn’t it interesting to think that stress management was taught to us long ago by Jesus and many others with all the strategies we need supplied for us in the Gospel readings?4
Don Schwager quotes “The upright of heart,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Do you know who the upright of heart are? They are those who wish what God wishes. Therefore, do not try to twist God's will to you own but correct your will to that of God. The will of God is a rule of conduct. By it you have the means of being converted and of correcting your evil ways." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 93,18) 5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Daniel 3:52-56 comments that we all face challenges in life. We all feel at times that we are in a white-hot furnace of our own. Our first reaction is usually to cry out to God to save us. There’s nothing wrong with that—God wants us to call on him in our need. But what if we decided to take a deep breath and offer him praise as well?
Like the “fourth man” appearing in the furnace, the act of praising God in some mysterious way makes him more present to us. We know that he might not always protect us from harm in miraculous ways as he did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We know that he might not take away the challenges we face. But we become more aware that he is with us, and we become more confident that he will never leave us or forsake us.6
Friar Jude Winkler places the authorship of the Book of Daniel in the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Seleucid persecution about 175 BCE. Those who refuse to adore the Greek ruler as the reincarnation of Apollo were killed. The Book of Revelation makes reference the furnace of the Book of Daniel. Friar Jude is reminded of the dualism of the Gospel of John as Jesus connects those who are attempting to kill Him to slaves and children of the evil one.
Cynthia Bourgeault reclaims Mary Magdalene’s significance as Jesus’ beloved companion and a model of authentic love.
Her passion has transformed her into one of the initiated ones. And in The Cloud of Unknowing, the author recognizes this same quality of passion as the key element that not only frees Mary from her sins but catapults her into unitive consciousness and a state of continuous beatific communion:7
Truth, beauty, and goodness are found in our spiritual heritage as we meditate on the praise in Daniel as our response to persecution and the Love expressed in Christian mysticism that is counter to the path of evil chosen by those who reject Love.
References
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(n.d.). Daniel, chapter 3 - usccb. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3
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(n.d.). Daniel, chapter 3 - usccb. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(2019, April 10). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/04/10/
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: April 2018 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved April 10, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2018/04/
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