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. When 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.
For the past few days, headlines that dominated news... and topics that dominated our family conversation... involved the pandemic of racism. My college-aged children have been accosted with a new type of bullying on social media: post an opinion in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, or else. Donate money to anti-racist causes (and brag about it), or else. Take a stand... preferably a loud one... or else. The pressure is not necessarily coming from their black friends — and both have many — but from a rising current of privileged friends of all races, who suddenly seem to have embraced violence in their protests.
ReplyDeleteThe most startling aspect of the arguments I hear, is that everyone is claiming to have Jesus on THEIR side. Many on Instagram and Facebook are asking, “What would Jesus do?” Those in support of looting and violence justify their rage, citing that Jesus, too, got angry and overturned tables in the Temple ( which he did twice.)
Some without faith claim that if God were real, He would not allow police brutality and institutional racism to have existed for this long.
I have tried to help my children formulate their own response by asking them, “What is the real message of Jesus?” We have concluded that “Love your enemies” and “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you” are more appropriate responses. Of course, where there is blatant wrongdoing, there must be justice, but there must also be mercy. We pray for both victim and perpetrator.
My witness to my children extends beyond this tense time, and is for always. We need to be able to defend our faith and to know when people are twisting the truth. Yes, Jesus modeled righteous anger in the Temple because people had turned a place of worship into a marketplace of greed and cheating. However, Jesus’ greater mission is love, forgiveness, compassion, and peace. In fact, God’s Word makes mention of “peace” over 400 times!
Taking a stand for one’s beliefs... as the trio Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did... is laudable. Their “protest” even changed the heart of the evil King Nebuchadnezzar. They were faith-filled, and singing songs of praise amidst the flames.
I am reminded of a very special group of protestors who were holding signs and singing the following hymn. What a way to melt hearts and encourage love and respect for fellow man! They even hugged a few police officers along the way — this is the way to make a statement!
I call Him
Waymaker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
that is who you are, yeah
Waymaker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God (that is who you are...)
I hope that when the time comes my children will have learned to take their stand and invoke God’s message of love and peace in the process.