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KEEPING OUR HEADS ABOVE THE DROWNING WATERS OF LIFE
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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Daniel 6:12-28 ©
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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.’
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Canticle
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Daniel 3:68-74 ©
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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!
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt24:42,44
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake and stand
ready,
because you do not
know the hour
when the Son of Man
is coming.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk21:28
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold
your heads high,
because your
liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 21:20-28 ©
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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.’
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KEEPING OUR HEADS ABOVE THE DROWNING WATERS OF LIFE
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SCRIPTURE
READINGS: DN 6:12-28;
LK 21:20-28
All of
us without exception will have to meet challenges and trials in life.
Some days, life seems to be more difficult than others. This is
particularly so when we are put to the test in the face of opposition and
persecution, like the prophet Daniel when he was persecuted for his
faith. In the gospel, Jesus prophesied the destruction of
Jerusalem. He urged them, “…when these things begin to take place, stand
erect; hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.”
“These things” refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. by the
Romans when the Jews were isolated, cut off from all supplies and food.
Of course, Jesus in His own life and ministry had to contend with much
opposition and persecution from the religious leaders as well.
The
point at issue is, how do we keep ourselves above the drowning waters of life
in the face of challenges, be it to our faith, our values or our
convictions? It is certainly difficult to remain true to ourselves when
we are faced with opposition from all sides. The true mettle of a leader
of course is known in times of crises and trials; not during the good times.
The faith of every Christian will be tested as well when they try to live
the gospel life. Will we be able to stand erect and hold our heads
high? Or will we succumb to the power of evil and ignorance? How
can we withstand the onslaught of those forces that menace our lives?
The
answer lies in the faith of the prophet, Daniel. We are told in the first
reading that Daniel was a man of deep prayer and faith in God. His
enemies and detractors complained 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.” Daniel was truly a man of
faith. In spite of the prohibition to pray or worship any other god but the
king alone, under the “pain of being thrown into the lions’ den”, he refused to
submit to the king’s edict. Instead, he prayed even more, for we read
that “the presidents and satraps came along in a body and found Daniel praying
and pleading with God”. Prophet Daniel, because of his relationship with
God, knew that he could rely on Him to deliver him from all the snares and
persecutions of his enemies. Such was his faith. And he was indeed proven
right.
Faith
brings about the power of God at work in us. For those who have faith,
God works miracles in them. Hence, Daniel remained unhurt. When the king
anxiously inquired about him, saying, “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.’” Such is the power
of God! Instead of suffering death at the jaws of the ferocious lions,
the king had Daniel’s enemies fed to the lions.
What is
significant is that faith inspires faith. When King Darius saw that he was
unharmed, he began to have faith in Daniel’s God. He saw the power of
faith and the power of Daniel’s God. “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 forever, his
sovereignty will never be destroyed. And his kingship never ends. 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.’” In the gospel too, if the
early Christians could remain staunch in their faith in the face of
persecution, it was also because of their deep union with the Risen Lord,
knowing that He was with them and that He would deliver them from their
enemies. But it was also because of the faith of the early Christians who
were willing to die for their belief in Christ. The undeniable truth is
that our faith can edify others in faith. That is why it is said that
faith is imparted and caught rather than taught. No amount of convicted
preaching can replace the witness of faith by our very lives. The Fathers
of the Church constantly declare to us that the blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church. St Francis instructed his disciples to proclaim the
gospel and only if necessary, to use words. Faith indeed is the key to keeping
ourselves strong and courageous in the face of attacks from our enemies.
It is our faith and relationship with God that helps us to stay strong and firm
in our beliefs.
Of
course, this intimate relationship with God that enables one to trust and
surrender in faith can only be nurtured through prayer. It is in prayer
that we come to experience the loving providence of God in our lives and His
power at work in us. Only in deep surrender to God will we be able to
overcome all our problems in life; and even if we do not overcome them, we will
be able to endure to the end without succumbing to the forces of evil.
Indeed, this is the secret of many successful people. They begin their
day with prayer, with worship or with Mass. The spiritual food that they
receive sustains them in their work the whole day. That is why we must
come to God regularly so that He can strengthen us by His love and wisdom.
Truly, nothing must ever be done without first consulting God or asking for His
blessings and guidance. We must turn to the Holy Spirit before we begin
any project or any work.
The
tragedy for many of us is that we are unprepared. Instead of relying on
Him for wisdom, guidance and strength, we only rely on ourselves. We
never learn from the mistakes of our forefathers. Surely the signs that
Jesus mentioned in today’s gospel are not new. Natural disasters, wars,
epidemics, earthquakes, etc are not alien to us. Many nations and peoples
have been devastated by natural disasters or killed because of wars. But
still, we are not paying attention to the fact that we too might suffer the
same fate. We are still unrepentant and living a life of sin and
indulgence. We are still too blind to see the reality before us.
By not
taking steps to strengthen our faith, many of us will not be ready when the
test comes. This was what happened when Jerusalem was historically ravaged by
the Romans in AD 70. The prophecy of Jesus came true as Jerusalem was
“surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid
desolate …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.” Many were then taken by
surprise but we too will also be taken by surprise. A day will come when
we will be caught off-guard in the face of a critical illness or a failure in
life or business. Our immediate reaction would then be anger against God
and against people or life itself. Some would be so bitter with God that
they lose faith all together, not to say that they have much faith to begin
with. But it is strange that when things go wrong, God is always made the
scapegoat, but when things are doing well, we never give glory to Him.
When we are healthy and successful in life, the credit is always due to our
hard work and planning. But when crises befall us, we are quick to blame
God for them.
Of course,
many people also come to God when they are in trouble. Certainly, it is
good that they still seek God in trying times because God is always
compassionate and forgiving, like the Prodigal Father. But the sad truth
is that at times it can be a little too late. If our relationship with
God is weak, we might not have the faith and patience to trust that God will
help us. Hence, when confronted with the struggles of life, many people
not only give up hope in themselves but also in God. That is why it is
important that all of us, regardless whether we are in good or bad times, must
come to God daily to be nurtured by Him. In bad times, we need Him to be
at our side. In good times, we need to store up our spiritual strength by
becoming more intimate in our relationship with Him so that when bad times
come, we will be able to stand erect, hold our heads high because we know that
God will always liberate us. Yes, like the wise man who stores his money
for a rainy day, so too we must strengthen and deepen our faith in Christ so
that we will be able to weather the storms of life when they come unexpectedly.
In the
meantime, the best guarantee that we can hold our heads high and erect when
tribulations come is to live in such a way that our life is a perfect praise to
God. This is what the psalmist invites us to do: “Give glory and eternal
praise to him.” When we know Jesus and the power of His death and
resurrection, then we can be certain that in whatever circumstances we are in,
not a hair on our head will be lost. Jesus who has conquered sin and
death will give us the strength to live forever even if we die. So long
as we die in Christ, we will reign with Him and our conscience will be set
free. As Jesus tells us, “…do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear:
Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into
hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two
pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than
many sparrows.” (Lk 12:4-7)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh
Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
©
All Rights Reserved
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