Reflections
“Blessed
are you, O Lord, praiseworthy
and
exalted above all forever.”
This
week's Responsorial is taken from the book
of
Daniel. The verses are an excerpt
from
the songs of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
who
have been thrown into the fiery furnace
by
king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
These
three young Jewish men
refuse
to worship the god of Nebuchadnezzar,
nor
will they worship the golden statue
that
has been set up by the King.
As
a consequence they are cast into
a
white hot furnace by the King.
But
these brave young men are seen
walking
about in the flames, singing to God
and
blessing the Lord, using the words
in
this week's Responsorial.
An
angel of the Lord goes down into the furnace and
makes
the inside of the furnace as though a
“dew
laden breeze were blowing through it.”
So
the fire in no way touches or causes them pain or harm.
These
three in the furnace with one voice sing,
glorifying
and blessing God. The unwavering faith of
the
three makes a strong impression on King Nebuchadnezzar
when
he sees that these three young servants
of
God have trusted in God and yielded their bodies,
rather
than serve or worship the Babylonian god or
a
golden statue. The King himself is so overwhelmed
that
he undergoes a conversion and
exclaims,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach,
Meshach,
and Abednego.”
The
verses of the Responsorial affirm the power of God's
love
for us. Each
day we encounter our own trial by fire
and emerge unscathed, then we too are inspired to respond
with the words of the three young Jewish men in the fiery
furnace, “Blessed are you, O Lord, praiseworthy and
and emerge unscathed, then we too are inspired to respond
with the words of the three young Jewish men in the fiery
furnace, “Blessed are you, O Lord, praiseworthy and
exalted
above all forever.”
Just
as the men in the furnace were in awe of the glory
of
the Lord, who sent an angel to rescue them, we too
stand
in awe of the loving presence of our God. Helpless
without
the strength of God in our lives, let us not focus on
our
own predicaments, but on the greatness of our God,
“Blessed
are you O Lord. Glory and praise forever!”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The verses of the Responsorial are songs of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who are rescued from the fiery furnace. We all encounter trial by fire when we live
our faith. Speak of your own rescue by the power of the Lord.
2. Daniel relates the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's conversion after he observes
the inspiring witness of the three young Jewish men. Tell of how your own witness
inspires others to become people of faith.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were certainly completely filled with faith, and God certainly rewarded them. It’s easy to talk the talk, but how many of us would walk the walk, i.e., allow ourselves to be thrown into a fiery furnace?
ReplyDeleteMy prayer is that ALL OF US would allow ourselves to be thrown into a fiery furnace rather than bow down and worship a false God, be it money, or whatever?????
“Blessed are you, O Lord, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever,” is the song of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
ReplyDeleteThese three Jewish men have refused to worship the God of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the golden statue which was set up by him. Consequently they were thrown into the blazing furnace.
Instead of being in fear, these young men were singing to God, blessing, glorifying the Lord with one voice. Since these three servants trusted in God and yielded their bodies, the angel of God protected them, delivered them, and created a breeze blowing cold inside the furnace. The young Jewish men were completely untouched by the fire and heat.
King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in awe and overwhelmed, came to realize these faithful young men’s God is so powerful and is the one true God in the Universe. The young men's strong, unwavering faith in the God of Israel brought about a miracle which was an inspiring witness to King Nebuchadnezzar.
If I encounter trial and hardship, how would I possibly react and respond? I wonder. I may be willing to compromise if confronted with a test of hardship or in the face of death, even though I have learned our destiny is in God’s hand, not in a human’s hand.
I am amazed by these three Jewish men’s faith in spite of a trial by fire. I know this same saving power will be available to me too if I put my faith in God. I always thank God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and pray that the Trinity will watch over me and protect me in time of great trial even though I have not yet inspired others to become people of faith. And also I have not been a good witness to others for God. However, I would say my faith is strengthened, by the grace of God, whenever I have encountered a crisis or a challenge in my life. God has blessed me with a spirit of endurance. And so I could overcome trials with a joyful, grateful heart. O Lord, you are exalted above all forever!