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24 November/Wednesday/34th Week in Ordinary Time, 

Dan 5,1-6.13-14.16-17.23-28/Dan 3,62.63.64.65.66.67/Luke 21,12-19

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Daniel 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28

The writing on the wall

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his noblemen; a thousand of them attended, and he drank wine in company with this thousand. As he sipped his wine, Belshazzar gave orders for the gold and silver vessels to be brought which his father Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the sanctuary in Jerusalem, so that the king, his noblemen, his wives and his singing women could drink out of them. The gold and silver vessels looted from the sanctuary of the Temple of God in Jerusalem were brought in, and the king, his noblemen, his wives and his singing women drank out of them. They drank their wine and praised their gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared, and began to write on the plaster of the palace wall, directly behind the lamp-stand; and the king could see the hand as it wrote. The king turned pale with alarm: his thigh-joints went slack and his knees began to knock.

Daniel was brought into the king’s presence; the king said to Daniel, ‘Are you the Daniel who was one of the Judaean exiles brought by my father the king from Judah? I am told that the spirit of God Most Holy lives in you, and that you are known for your perception, intelligence and marvellous wisdom. As I am told that you are able to give interpretations and to unravel difficult problems, if you can read the writing and tell me what it means, you shall be dressed in purple, and have a chain of gold put round your neck, and be third in rank in the kingdom.’

Then Daniel spoke up in the presence of the king. ‘Keep your gifts for yourself,’ he said ‘and give your rewards to others. I will read the writing to the king without them, and tell him what it means. You have defied the Lord of heaven, you have had the vessels from his Temple brought to you, and you, your noblemen, your wives and your singing women have drunk your wine out of them. You have praised gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone, which cannot either see, hear or understand; but you have given no glory to the God who holds your breath and all your fortunes in his hands. That is why he has sent the hand which, by itself, has written these words. The writing reads: Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin. The meaning of the words is this: Mene: God has measured your sovereignty and put an end to it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; Parsin: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.’

Responsorial Psalm  Daniel 3:62-67

Sun and moon! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Stars of heaven! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Showers and dews! all bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Winds! all bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Fire and heat! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Cold and heat! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Gospel Acclamation  Luke 21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Luke 21:12-19

Your endurance will win you your lives

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’

Reflection

The First Reading recounts an event during the Babylonian exile involving Daniel and King Belshazzar, who is said to be the son of King Nebuchadnezzar. There is no historical evidence to his having been made king. Biblical scholars hold that he may probably have been a commander of one of the battalions of the Babylonian army that fought the Medians in Opis. The setting of the story is a banquet which is presented as a very big event by mentioning that a thousand people were invited to the feast. The feast in itself would not have attracted much narrative attention were it not for a decision of King Belshazzar to make use of the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the sanctuary in Jerusalem. These vessels were used for divine worship so they should have been preserved only for that purpose. The conquest of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar and the looting of the Temple placed these sacred vessels in the hands of people who did not worship Yahweh, the God of Israel.

The use of the sacred vessels for a profane purpose like a banquet showed disrespect for God. King Belshazzar went beyond limits in putting the sacred vessels to such a mundane use. The character of the feast indicates a victorious or peaceful moment but this peace was to be disturbed by a strange phenomenon. A hand appears and writes on the wall where the banquet was taking place. In this way, the provocation of King Belshazzar was countered by the power of God. If King Belshazzar thought he was all powerful, God showed that he was Almighty and all kingdoms serve as his footstool. At times, leaders become too full of themselves that they fail to acknowledge a Supreme Power that is over and above them. They begin to behave like gods and want people to believe that they are almighty. However, as is often the case, such people are very fragile and even afraid of their own shadows. That is why they do not entertain any opposition to their authority and are ready to kill or murder to remain in power.

The writing on the wall disturbed King Belshazzar especially that he could not understand the meaning of what was written. His eagerness to know the meaning of the writing is portrayed in the reward he wanted to give to Daniel if he could interpret the writing for him. Leaders who are not sure of their position or who know that they are in power by false means and not the will of the people and of God are ready to offer all they can to retain their position. The refusal of Daniel to accept the reward promised him indicates that Daniel was not interested in material wealth. As a man of God, his primary goal was to do the will of God and proclaim his message without fear or favour. Jesus calls on all of us to have a similar attitude when he says in the Gospel Reading that when we are faced with persecution and drawn before kings, we should consider it an opportunity to witness to him. Nothing should deter us from the proclamation of the truth. We should always remember that the God we serve is greater than all human powers and would never abandon us.

23 November/Tuesday/34th Week in Ordinary Time,

Dan 2,31-45/Dan 3,57.58.59.60.61/Luke 21,5-11

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will explain to the king what it means.

‘You, O king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:57-61

All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Heavens! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord.

    Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Gospel Acclamation  Luke 21:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stand erect, hold your heads high,

because your liberation is near at hand.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Luke 21:5-11

The destruction of the Temple foretold

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’

‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’

Reflection

In the First Reading, we have an account of how Daniel gave a detailed description of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. Interestingly, Daniel did not ask the king to confirm his description but went ahead to offer his interpretation. Daniel was certain of his description because he obtained it from God who was guiding him in his interaction with King Nebuchadnezzar. Granting the veracity of his description, the king must have been fascinated at the account of Daniel. He might have wondered in himself how Daniel knew about his dream. This account prepared the ground for the acceptance of the interpretation that Daniel was to give the king regarding his dream.

In his interpretation of the dream, Daniel pointed to the emergence of five empires, each represented by a different element. King Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom is represented by gold and was at the head of the statue. Nebuchadnezzar is described as king of kings to show his supremacy and great dominion. Daniel made it clear that the kingship was given to the king by divine appointment and not by his personal effort or military power. Since Daniel was addressing King Nebuchadnezzar, we may focus on his description of his kingdom and the stone that represents the fifth and last kingdom.

By the interpretation of Daniel, it is clear that King Nebuchadnezzar was being advised to acknowledge divine appointment and not consider himself indestructible. Other kingdoms were to rise and destroy his kingdom. The stone kingdom would also be established by God, just as he appointed King Nebuchadnezzar. This time however, the kingdom would be indestructible and eternal. This kingdom is the one that would be given to the saints of the Highest in Dan 7,18. The interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel reveals how the hand of God is always at work in history. We may not always feel his presence or we may think he is not in control but God has his own time. At the favourable moment, he acts on behalf of his own and gives them victory. In the Gospel Reading, Jesus asks us to look out for the signs of the times. When we are able to read these signs, we would be in a better situation to always be ready to meet the Lord. We pray for the grace to be able to read the signs of the times and discover the time of God’s intervention in our contemporary history.

22 November/Monday/34th Week in Ordinary Time, 

Dan 1,1-6.8-20/Dan 3,52.53.54.55.56/Luke 21,1-4

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Daniel 1:1-6,8-20

Daniel and his companions are trained to be the king's servants in Babylon

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hands, with some of the furnishings of the Temple of God. He took them away to the land of Shinar, and stored the sacred vessels in the treasury of his own gods.

The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to select from the Israelites a certain number of boys of either royal or noble descent; they had to be without any physical defect, of good appearance, trained in every kind of wisdom, well-informed, quick at learning, suitable for service in the palace of the king. Ashpenaz himself was to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldaeans. The king assigned them a daily allowance of food and wine from his own royal table. They were to receive an education lasting for three years, after which they were expected to be fit for the king’s society. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who were Judaeans. Daniel, who was most anxious not to defile himself with the food and wine from the royal table, begged the chief eunuch to spare him this defilement; and by the grace of God Daniel met goodwill and sympathy on the part of the chief eunuch. But he warned Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king: he has assigned you food and drink, and if he sees you looking thinner in the face than the other boys of your age, my head will be in danger with the king because of you.’ At this Daniel turned to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He said, ‘Please allow your servants a ten days’ trial, during which we are given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our looks with those of the boys who eat the king’s food; go by what you see, and treat your servants accordingly.’ The man agreed to do what they asked and put them on ten days’ trial. When the ten days were over they looked and were in better health than any of the boys who had eaten their allowance from the royal table; so the guard withdrew their allowance of food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. And God favoured these four boys with knowledge and intelligence in everything connected with literature, and in wisdom; while Daniel had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream. When the period stipulated by the king for the boys’ training was over, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king conversed with them, and among all the boys found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became members of the king’s court, and on whatever point of wisdom or information he might question them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

Responsorial Psalm  Daniel 3:52-56

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest, Lord God of our fathers.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

Blest your glorious holy name.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest in the temple of your glory.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest on the throne of your kingdom.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest who gaze into the depths.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest in the firmament of heaven.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

Gospel Acclamation Rev 2:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Even if you have to die, says the Lord,

keep faithful, and I will give you

the crown of life.

Alleluia!

Gospel  Luke 21:1-4

The widow's mite

As Jesus looked up, he saw rich people putting their offerings into the treasury; then he happened to notice a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins, and he said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all contributed money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on.’

Reflection

The beginning of the Book of Daniel presents an account of how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah came to find themselves in the court of the king of Babylon. According to the prophet Jeremiah, King Nebuchadnezzar was the enemy into whose hands the Lord was to deliver his people, Israel (Jer 25,8-11). The period of their captivity was also indicated by Jeremiah as seventy years. As a means of exerting his authority over Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar deported more than three thousand Jews of noble birth to Babylon. The deportation was done in three different stages; the first was soon after the conquest of Jerusalem during the reign of Jehoiakim. The last one took place during the reign of King Zedekiah in 586 B.C.E. The story of Daniel and his companions is situated within this period.

Apart from a presentation of the circumstances that led to the presence of these four Jewish youth in Babylon, the reading also recounts their particularity among all the other youth selected from among the Jewish nobles to serve in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. These four youth did not want to contaminate themselves with meat from the table of the king of Babylon. It is not that they rejected all the food from the table of the king. They ate the vegetables from his table. The reason Daniel and his companions asked to eat only vegetables was because they believe that the meat at the table of the king was from sacrifices offered to pagan gods. Their refusal to eat the meat from the table of the king also posed a challenge to them. They had to prove that their restricted diet would not betray Ashpenaz whom the king placed over them.

At the end of the trial period, the four youth are reported to be healthier than their companions. This is not to say that vegetarian diet is healthier than eating meat. The focus of the story is the hand of God at work in the life of the four young men. It teaches us that if we are faithful to God’s commandment and trust in his protection, we would obtain the reward worthy of our commitment. The four young men were conscious that should they fail the test, they would have been obliged to eat the meat offered to pagan gods. Ashpenaz would not want to accept responsibility for their failure to be presentable to the king. God delivered them from this situation by making them healthier. In the face of challenges, we should look up to God for the right way to handle the situation. He knows better than us and would always show us the path to carry out his commandments as he did for Daniel and his companions. In the Gospel Reading, Jesus acknowledged the widow who put it a small amount. The acknowledgment is more because she gave all she had as compared to those who gave from their surplus. May we also learn to give wholeheartedly from what we have, so that God may reward us abundantly.