Images from God

A Non-Catholic’s Take on Today’s Catholic Readings: Lectionary 506—Dealing with difficulty

Key

Bold = verse commented upon

Blue = comment

Highlight = direct command

Today’s readings give us some insights into dealing with the trouble that inevitably comes into our lives:

1. Don’t be surprised by it. Jesus told us to expect it, a dynamic that Peter also discussed. John 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12-13.

2. Although God does not exempt His faithful ones from the troubles of the world, He does help them through those troubles if they trustingly and faithfully cling to Him. See Sirach 2.

3. One way get through the emotional upheavals that those troubles inevitably cause, even in God’s faithful ones, is to talk to God. We see that dynamic over and over again in the Scriptures. See e.g. Numbers 11:10-15, 21-22; Judges 6:13-16; Acts 9:10-19 Praising God in the midst of the troubles is particularly helpful. See e.g. Daniel 3:52-90. It calms you. Try it, you’ll see.

4. Another way to deal with those troubles is to see them in the broader context of God’s overall plan. The individual calamities Jesus describes in the Gospel reading might make no sense as folks go through each of them, but seen in the context of God’s overall plan, they do make sense. See also Hebrews 12:1-13. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us see the broader context of the troubles that come up in our lives. See James 1:2-6 and Hebrews 4:14-16.

Daniel 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.”

Daniel 3:68-74

R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.”