The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the last day of the Church year alert us to be vigilant in our attention to Advent spirituality in the midst of the persecution by the commercial pressure of the secular seasonal celebration.
In the reading from the Book of Daniel, Daniel’s Visions are interpreted.
* [7:18] “Holy ones” in Hebrew and Aramaic literature are nearly always members of the heavenly court or angels (cf. 4:10, 14, 20; 8:13), though here the term is commonly taken to refer to Israel.
* [7:25] The reference is to the persecution of Antiochus IV and specifically to the disruption of the Temple cult (1 Mc 1:41–64). A time, two times, and half a time: an indefinite, evil period of time. Probably here, three and a half years, which becomes the standard period of tribulation in apocalyptic literature (Rev 11:2; 13:5 [in months]; 11:3 [in days]; and cf. 12:14). As seven is the Jewish “perfect” number, half of it signifies great imperfection. Actually, the Temple was desecrated for three years (1 Mc 4:52–54). The duration of the persecution was a little longer, since it was already under way before the Temple was desecrated. (Daniel, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
The response is from Daniel 3 of Saturday December 2, 2023
* [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. (Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke is an exhortation to watch and be vigilant.
* [21:5–36] Jesus’ eschatological discourse in Luke is inspired by Mk 13 but Luke has made some significant alterations to the words of Jesus found there. Luke maintains, though in a modified form, the belief in the early expectation of the end of the age (see Lk 21:27, 28, 31, 32, 36), but, by focusing attention throughout the gospel on the importance of the day-to-day following of Jesus and by reinterpreting the meaning of some of the signs of the end from Mk 13 he has come to terms with what seemed to the early Christian community to be a delay of the parousia. Mark, for example, described the desecration of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans (Mk 13:14) as the apocalyptic symbol (see Dn 9:27; 12:11) accompanying the end of the age and the coming of the Son of Man. Luke (Lk 21:20–24), however, removes the apocalyptic setting and separates the historical destruction of Jerusalem from the signs of the coming of the Son of Man by a period that he refers to as “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24). See also notes on Mt 24:1–36 and Mk 13:1–37. (Luke, CHAPTER 21, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that despite his ongoing anxiety, Daniel rejoices in that good news in his psalm of praise. In it, he further encourages all servants and the Lord, holy people of humble heart, spirits and souls of the just, to bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever. Daniel’s response is instructive.
I am pretty sure that we too are those servants of the Lord, holy people of humble heart, and spirits and souls of the just that Daniel refers to in the Old Testament, and that doesn’t make our lives any easier either. Whether we are called to prophecy, witness, or teaching, we can be sure that we will experience some anxieties when God puts us to work to send a message about salvation. Yet we, like Daniel, should also bless the Lord and praise and exalt Him above all forever. Lucky for us, unlike the prophets in the Old Testament, God chooses not to reveal certain things to us like He did to Daniel. There is still an element of mystery surrounding it all even though the Scriptures reveal what is necessary for us to know. But this is where faith comes in, at least for me. Our response to those who say they can’t believe in a God that they don’t see or talk to everyday or understand is to share the good news of salvation that Jesus brings. As servants of the Lord, we don’t have to interpret dreams anymore. We can live our lives wide awake without fear! We also need to share the good news of Jesus humbly and patiently with those who have a lot of anxieties about the kingdoms of this earth. Especially so these days, we also need to give glory and eternal praise to the Lord who reveals to us the Kingdom of God is eternally ours in Christ Jesus. (Dilly, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Drunkenness weakens both soul and body,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"'But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare.' You heard the proclamation of the eternal King. You learned the deplorable end of 'drunkenness' or 'intoxication'. Imagine a skilled and wise physician who would say, 'Beware, no one should drink too much from this or that herb. If he does, he will suddenly be destroyed.' I do not doubt that everyone would keep the prescriptions of the physician's warning concerning his own health. Now the Lord, who is both the physician of souls and bodies, orders them to avoid as a deadly drink the herb 'of drunkenness' and the vice 'of intoxication' and also the care of worldly matters. I do not know if any one can say that he is not wounded, because these things consume him.
"Drunkenness is therefore destructive in all things. It is the only thing that weakens the soul together with the body. According to the apostle, it can happen that when the body 'is weak,' then the spirit is 'much stronger' (2 Corinthians 12:10), and when 'the exterior person is destroyed, the interior person is renewed' (2 Corinthians 4:16). In the illness of drunkenness, the body and the soul are destroyed at the same time. The spirit is corrupted equally with the flesh. All the members are weakened: the feet and the hands. The tongue is loosened. Darkness covers the eyes. Forgetfulness covers the mind so that one does not know himself nor does he perceive he is a person. Drunkenness of the body has that shamefulness." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 7.5-6) (Schwager, 2023)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 21:34-36 comments that anxiety about the daily issues we face can make us lose sight of our true purpose and goal in life. We were made to love and serve the Lord, to build his kingdom on earth, and to spend eternity with him in heaven. Unfortunately, our day-to-day concerns have the potential to consume our thoughts and actions to the point that we become “drowsy” about what matters most: our life with God. And that life is what prepares us for Jesus’ return.
Trying to tackle anxieties head-on can be a bit like playing whack-a-mole. Hit one, and another one pops up somewhere else. A better strategy is to turn to the Lord and spend some time praising him. As we do, our minds and hearts become focused on his goodness and care for us. Rather than becoming drowsy, our hearts will swell with love and gratitude. And that will make us more than ready to welcome the Lord when he comes again!
“Jesus, whenever I am filled with anxiety, help me to turn to you in praise and thanksgiving.” (Meditation on Luke 21:34-36, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the latter part of Daniel 7 is very apocalyptic like Revelation which was also written near this time. The text declares that even the Seleucid Empire would be crushed. Friar Jude urges us to do everything we can today and even better tomorrow as we ponder the Day of the Lord.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to center ourselves and all we do each day in the flow of God’s love.
When I studied The Divine Comedy in college, I was fascinated that Dante had some of the souls in the highest heaven spinning around. It seemed silly to me that the great reformer St. Peter Damien just “whirled” into deeper and deeper love.
Then, a few years ago in Istanbul, I attended the prayer of the Sufi whirling dervishes. Again, in this sacred dance, there was a spinning around a calm and fixed center. In fact, a dervish cannot fake a calm center and survive the prayer. One foot has to be firmly, calmly grounded in a Stable Love or they cannot do the dance; one hand raised and one hand grounding….
We’ve got to keep whirling in the midst of all that today’s going to demand of us. We’ll have to do this and that. We’ll have to feel this and that. But we’ve got to keep the stable center by a conscious choice for love. If we practice returning to that Love, it will become truly real and vital. We must allow, notice, and draw upon this divine, inherent spinning of love within us, between the three—and of course, we become the fourth! [2] (Rohr, 2023)
We close out the Church year and prepare for Advent even as we ponder our response to the secular winter seasonal celebration that has so much of our attention as the Spirit invites us to anticipate the representation of the Incarnation.
References
Daniel, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?15
Daniel, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?
Dilly, B. (2023, December 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120223.html
Luke, CHAPTER 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/21?
Meditation on Luke 21:34-36. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/02/840494/
Rohr, R. (2023, June 16). The Prophetic Path: Motivated by Love: Weekly Summary. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-prophetic-path-motivated-by-love-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (2023, June 16). Lest Your Hearts Be Weighed Down. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved December 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec2
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