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Contemplating today's Gospel

Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)

Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
View 1st Reading and Psalm
1st Reading (Dan 6:12-28): Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's home and found him praying and pleading before his God. Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition: «Did you not decree, o king, that no one is to address a petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, o king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?». The king answered them, «The decree is absolute, irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law». To this they replied, «Daniel, the Jewish exile, has paid no attention to you, o king, or to the decree you issued; three times a day he offers his prayer». The king was deeply grieved at this news and he made up his mind to save Daniel; he worked till sunset to rescue him. But these men insisted. They said, «Keep in mind, o king, that under the Mede and Persian law every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable».

So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions' den. To Daniel he said, «May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you». To forestall any tampering, the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den. Then the king returned to his palace for the night; he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers. Since sleep was impossible for him, the king rose very early the next morning and hastened to the lions' den. As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully, «O Daniel, servant of the living God, has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save you from the lions?». Daniel answered the king: «O king, live forever! My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths so that they have not hurt me. For I have been found innocent before him; neither to you have I done any harm, o king!». This gave the king great joy.

At his order Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God. The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel, along with their children and their wives, to be cast into the lions' den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language, wherever they dwell on the earth: «All peace to you! I decree that throughout my royal domain the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared: For he is the living God, enduring forever; his Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be without end. He is a deliverer and savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power».
Responsorial Psalm: Dan 3
R/. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Frost and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
Versicle before the Gospel (Lk 21:28): Alleluia. Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Alleluia.
Gospel text (Lk 21:20-28): Jesus said to his disciples: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the Scriptures are fulfilled. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Fr. Lluc TORCAL Monk of Santa Maria de Poblet (Santa Maria de Poblet, Tarragona, Spain)

Today, when reading Saint Luke’s Gospel, can we afford not to ponder over the present moments, fuller every day with threats and blood shedding? “On earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Lk 21:25b-26a). The second coming of our Lord has quite often been depicted with the most terrifying images, as in this Gospel, and always under the sign of fear.

But is this really the message the Gospel is proclaiming today? Let us just look at the last sentence: “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Lk 21:28). The core of the message of these last days of our liturgical year is not fear but hopefulness of a future deliverance, that is, the Christian’s complete expectancy of the fulfillment of our full life with the Lord, which our body and the world around us will also share. The events narrated in such a dramatic way symbolically indicate the participation of the whole creation in the second coming of the Lord, as it already participated in during His first arrival, specifically at His Passion, when the sky darkened and the earth shook. The cosmic dimension will not be forsaken at the end of time, because it is the dimension accompanying man since he entered the Paradise.

The Christian prospect is not deceiving, because when this will all happen —the same Lord tells us— “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Lk 21:27). Let's not live an anguished life because of the second coming of the Lord, because of His Parusia: let us rather ponder over the profound words of Saint Augustine that, already in his day, bearing witness of those Christians fearful of the Lord's coming, was wondering: “How can the Wife be afraid of her Spouse?”

Thoughts on Today's Gospel

  • "Wait, wait, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Watch with care, for everything passes quickly.” (Saint Teresa of Jesus)

  • “The cosmic elements pass away; the word of Jesus is the true ‘firmament’ beneath which we can stand and remain.” (Benedict XVI)

  • “Until everything is subject to him (I Cor 15:28), until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass (…)” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 671)