20251127 THE IRONY OF A GODLESS WORLD
27 November 2025, Thursday, 34th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Daniel 6:12-28 |
Daniel in the lions' den
The presidents and satraps came along in a body and found Daniel praying and pleading with God. They then came to the king and said, ‘Have you not just signed an edict forbidding any man for the next thirty days to pray to anyone, god or man, other than to yourself O king, on pain of being thrown into the lions’ den?’ ‘The decision stands,’ the king replied ‘as befits the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Then they said to the king, ‘O king, this man Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, disregards both you and the edict which you have signed: he is at his prayers three times each day.’ When the king heard these words he was deeply distressed, and determined to save Daniel; he racked his brains until sunset to find some way out. But the men came back in a body to the king and said, ‘O king, remember that in conformity with the law of the Medes and the Persians, no edict or decree can be altered when once issued by the king.’
The king then ordered Daniel to be fetched and thrown into the lion pit. The king said to Daniel, ‘Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you.’ A stone was then brought and laid over the mouth of the pit; and the king sealed it with his own signet and with that of his noblemen, so that there could be no going back on the original decision about Daniel. The king returned to his palace, spent the night in fasting and refused to receive any of his concubines. Sleep eluded him, and at the first sign of dawn he was up, and hurried off to the lion pit. As he approached the pit he shouted in anguished tones, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to save you from the lions?’ Daniel replied, ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel who sealed the lions’ jaws, they did me no harm, since in his sight I am blameless, and I have never done you any wrong either, O king.’ The king was overjoyed, and ordered Daniel to be released from the pit. Daniel was released from the pit, and found to be quite unhurt, because he had trusted in his God. The king sent for the men who had accused Daniel and had them thrown into the lion pit, they, their wives and their children: and they had not reached the floor of the pit before the lions had seized them and crushed their bones to pieces.
King Darius then wrote to men of all nations, peoples and languages throughout the world, ‘May peace be always with you! I decree: in every kingdom of my empire let all tremble with fear before the God of Daniel:
‘He is the living God, he endures for ever,
his sovereignty will never be destroyed
and his kingship never end.
He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth;
he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.’
Responsorial Psalm | Daniel 3:68-74 |
Dews and sleet! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Frost and cold! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Ice and snow! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Nights and days! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Light and darkness! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Lightning and clouds! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Let the earth bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Gospel Acclamation | Mt24:42,44 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk21:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 21:20-28 |
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!
‘For great misery will descend on the land and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over.
‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’
THE IRONY OF A GODLESS WORLD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dan 6:12-28; Dan 3:68-74; Lk 21:20-28]
In the ancient world, human beings — especially kings and emperors — were worshipped as gods. This was true in many parts of the world, whether East or West, in empires or tribal societies. Even if they were not worshipped as gods, they were seen as God’s anointed, as in the history of Israel. In China, emperors were considered sons of the Heavenly God. So it was not surprising that the king of Persia, and later the Roman Emperor, could order the people to worship them. Furthermore, the decree of the king was absolute and could not be revoked once issued.
Yet, deep in their hearts, all kings knew that they were not gods. They were not all-powerful, omnipotent, or omniscient. Like all other men and women, they were mortals and weaklings. Indeed, none of us — whether president, prime minister, pope, or bishop should ever think of ourselves as all-powerful or even mini-gods. We are human beings made of flesh and blood with a soul. We are embodied spirits. However, we are not gods, although like all men and women, we share in the image and likeness of God. By virtue of our office, we represent God in our relations with men and women so that all may live in harmony, peace, and progress, always reflecting the love, mercy, and compassion of God.
This was the realisation of the king who had great respect for the prophet Daniel. When he understood that he had been trapped by the very rules he had established for the kingdom, he was at a loss. He could not even save Daniel, his trusted servant. Indeed, “he was deeply distressed and determined to save Daniel; he racked his brains until sunset to find some way out.” Realising his limitations and that he was not a god after all, he said to Daniel, “Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you.” Even the king, in the face of a dilemma, could not pray to himself but to a Higher Being. We read, “The king returned to his palace, spent the night fasting, and refused to receive any of his concubines. Sleep eluded him, and at the first sign of dawn, he was up and hurried off to the lion pit.”
When he saw how God had saved Daniel from the lions, he declared that Daniel’s God was to be revered and honoured by all. He “wrote to men of all nations, peoples and languages throughout the world: ‘May peace be always with you! I decree: in every kingdom of my empire, let all tremble with fear before the God of Daniel: He is the living God, he endures forever, his sovereignty will never be destroyed, and his kingship will never end. He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth; he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.'” Indeed, for many of us, we often come to realise that we are not all-powerful or almighty but merely mortal beings only when confronted with our mortality and helplessness. We are not gods!
This message is equally applicable to our society today. Instead of worshipping kings as gods, today everyone is his or her own god. The world now claims that we are all gods — a claim that arises from two apparently irreconcilable positions: that of the New-Age believer and that of the humanist.
The New-Age believer claims that the entire creation, including human beings, is god. God is in everything in the universe. He is not a personal being but an energy or a force. It is another form of pantheism. In other words, all of us are gods. We have the spiritual power within us. All we need to do is tap into this spiritual energy. Original sin, in their view, is simply forgetting that we are gods and possess spiritual powers. We do not need to depend on anyone, but only need to get in touch with ourselves and the spiritual world through meditation.
On the other hand, the humanist reduces the human person to mere matter. He is just like the rest of creation. There is no soul or spirit. When he dies, he simply disappears from the world and is recycled as molecules for other creatures. Hence, there is no Absolute Spirit whom we call God. Man has intelligence, and with this knowledge, he can change the world, control the universe, and determine his life. He does not need any power from without because his intellect can solve all the world’s problems and challenges. He believes he knows everything, and it is only a matter of time before he discovers the solutions to all human suffering. He does not need anyone because he alone can save himself and the world. To depend on God, in his view, is an insult to his intelligence. Although a humanist does not call himself a god, he behaves like one. He is the one who has all the answers. He is the centre of reference. He supplants the place of God.
When there is no God except human beings, the world has no centre and no point of reference. This is why relativism prevails in the world today. Relativism leads to amorality, for there is no absolute truth, no right or wrong. Everything depends on circumstances, time, preference, and desire. Life thus becomes pragmatic, based on choices and decisions that serve us here and now. As for the future of humanity and creation, it is deemed not the current generation’s concern because “things will change.” Since there is no life after death, our actions are believed to have no eternal consequences.
The catastrophes and sufferings in the world are largely due to the foolishness, selfishness, and self-centeredness of human beings.The apocalyptic signs preceding the Second Coming of Christ are not so much indicators that the Kingdom is coming soon, but warnings of the eventual destruction that will occur if we do not heed the signs of the times. “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth, nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Indeed, we see all these signs today: societies deeply divided, nations competing to outdo others lest they become too powerful, each person pursuing his own interests, business expansion, and profits, with little thought for the good of humanity. The world is degenerating under an unhealthy culture of promiscuity, pornography, prostitution, infidelity, hedonism, excessive drinking, smoking, drug abuse, gambling, and cheating.
The consequences for humanity and creation are frightening. Human beings are on the verge of destroying themselves and each other.We are also slowly destroying creation by abusing nature and its resources, making the earth increasingly uninhabitable because of climate change. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, when the Romans killed more than a million inhabitants, occurred because Israel refused to accept Jesus’ message of non-violence. We, too, will be destroyed if humanity does not heed the warnings. We live in a fragile environment. Our political leaders have become inward-looking and narrowly nationalistic, often neglecting the interests of people from other nations.
What, then, can we do in the face of impending disasters, wars, terrorist activities, economic hardship, climate change, and the amorality prevalent in the world? We must remain steadfast in our faith in God, like Daniel. In the face of opposition, we must hold firm to our beliefs just as Daniel did, disobeying the king’s unreasonable decree to worship him. Instead, Daniel worshipped God three times a day, even though he had deep respect for the king. He was not afraid of physical death; he was more afraid of eternal death (cf. Lk 12:4f). Thus, as the Lord exhorts us, “When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” The Lord will deliver us from death just as He delivered Daniel. And even if He does not deliver us from our earthly enemies, He will reward us with eternal life when He comes “with power and great glory.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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