The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the practices we need to bring Wisdom guided by the Spirit to our daily witness.
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| Speaking for justice |
The reading from the Book of Daniel tell of the writing on the wall interpreted by Daniel during Belshazzar’s feast.
* [5:26–28] Daniel interprets these three terms by a play on the words: MENE, connected with the verb meaning to number; TEKEL, with the verb meaning to weigh; PERES, with the verb meaning to divide. There is also a play on the last term with the word for Persians.1
The prayer of Azariah from the Book of Daniel is the response today.
* [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 of Luke, Jesus assures that by our endurance we will gain your souls.
* [21:15] A wisdom in speaking: literally, “a mouth and wisdom.”3
Chas Kestermeier, S.J. comments in making our choices for God, we are witnessing to ourselves, and while we learn the tricks which we play on ourselves to avoid the gift of giving ourselves constantly and totally to God we also learn what our serious, loving attempts to turn ourselves completely over to God do to us.
And in that transformation that God works in us as we seek Him comes a difference also in that witnessing to those others in our daily lives: the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, and everything in between make us filled with inner peace, patience, generosity, purity, gentleness, and all the rest, and others can see how God is at work in us.4
Don Schwager quotes “The faithful Christian is recognized by belief in the resurrection of the body,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"We should have no doubt that our mortal flesh also will rise again at the end of the world... This is the Christian faith. This is the Catholic faith. This is the apostolic faith. Believe Christ when he says, 'Not a hair of your head shall perish.' Putting aside all unbelief, consider how valuable you are. How can our Redeemer despise any person when he cannot despise a hair of that person's head? How are we going to doubt that he intends to give eternal life to our soul and body? He took on a soul and body in which to die for us, which he laid down for us when he died and which he took up again that we might not fear death." (excerpt from Sermon 214.11-12)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 notes that throughout all of his trials, Daniel is depicted as a humble, wise, and righteous man... From the day his stories were written, Daniel has stood as the best of the best, a hero’s hero, someone every eager young believer should aspire to be like.
We will never face a den of lions or a fiery furnace, but we do face cultural pressure to become like everyone else, even if it means denying our faith. Daniel’s example reminds us that God will reward and protect us if we stay strong and hold fast to what we know is right and good.
“Lord, help me to stay strong in my faith like Daniel. Give me Daniel’s courage and wisdom to follow you, no matter what.”6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the desecration of the Temple vessels during Belshazzar’s feast. The prediction of Daniel about the fall of Babylon is referring to the collapse of the Seleucid Empire who were persecuting Israel at the time the text was written. Friar Jude reminds us of ongoing persecution referring to St Theresa of Lisieux persecution of pin pricks.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is not going to say capitalism is wrong in all aspects; it does some very real and significant good. But we must be able to offer an honest critique of a system if we want to find a better way forward. In this excerpt, Arthur Simon, a Lutheran minister, deals fairly with capitalism, praising what it does well and encouraging us—especially those of us with power and privilege—to do better.
Left to its own devices, free enterprise capitalism would ruin the environment and let people starve. As a result, no nation leaves free enterprise entirely on its own. Every country will devise policies that, at least to some extent, guide free enterprise toward serving the wider public good, in this way acknowledging that while free enterprise may be a remarkable engine for driving economic growth, an engine is not the same as a steering wheel.7
Reflecting on Simon’s message, Fr Richard considers: How do Gospel values like justice, compassion, and generosity make their way into our economic decisions?
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| Greed or good |
Do they carry the same weight as our desire for material things? Persecution persists for those following Jesus Way. Our call is to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us to the patient endurance necessary in these tribulations.
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