Readings for Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Daniel 7:15-27
This selection from the Book of Daniel contains the interpretation of his dream which was described in the first fifteen verses of this chapter. Much of this imagery is consistent with but had different means from what was later used by St. John in his Revelations.
The four kingdoms were those described in Daniel 2:36-45 in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and were discussed Tuesday of this week. They represent the Babylonian (gold), the Median (silver), the Persian (bronze), and the Hellenistic (iron). The image of the final kingdom is interpreted in St. John’s Revelation as being the Roman Empire, in this instance it refers to Alexander’s kingdom.
The NAB Footnote describes this imagery in the context of the dream: “Alexander's empire was different from all the others in that it was Western rather than Oriental in inspiration. The ten horns represent the kings of the Seleucid dynasty, the only part of the Hellenistic empire that concerned the author. The little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.), the worst of the Seleucid kings, who usurped the throne.”
The reference to the persecutions of the holy ones by the “fourth beast” points at Antiochus IV. He attempted to force the Jews to give up their customs and adopt Hellenistic traditions (1 Macc 1:33-34). The Ancient One in this setting refers to God the Father; we might also interpret these remarks prophetically referring also the Christ, the Son, eternally begotten of the Father. In the final verses, heavenly court is convened and God’s eternal reign is promised.
Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
The selection from Daniel used as a Psalm Response is once more take from the chant of by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This long hymn of praise (from verse 24 to verse 90) is used extensively in the Liturgy of the Hours on Feasts and High Holy Days as our united song of praise to the Father
Gospel Luke 21:34-36
Jesus again finds it necessary to remind his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate.
Reflection:
On this final day of out liturgical year the Holy Scripture appropriately causes us to look at the end of our own time. As we read the apocalyptic imagery in Daniel and see those images appear in other places with different meanings, we get the sense that time for God is not our time. Even the sequence of events are scrambled with references forward and backward through out all eternity. In this we are given the sense (although it sometimes hurts our heads to try to take it all in) that the Lord sees all creation and all time at once. For Him there is no beginning and no end, indeed we catch a blurred glimpse of the Alpha and the Omega.
Even as we contemplate God’s omnipotence, we sense his love for us. His Son, as we hear in St. Luke’s Gospel, reminds us one more time that we must not become complacent with our faith. We have learned that, in Christ, we find the promise of salvation and the peace His own peace. If we look away, just for a moment, the forces that oppose all we believe are there waiting for us. The beast with ten horns may have been a symbolic representation of the evil use of power in Daniel’s day. But that same evil is still alive and well in the world today.
As this year draws to an end and we are once more looking forward to the celebration that begins with Evening Prayer tonight, the Advent of the Lord. We pause and pray that we can remain steadfast in our faith, faithful in our worship, and constant in our prayer as we enter yet another year of rejoicing in the Lord. Happy New Year!
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Beast with Ten Horns” Ted Larson (see Digital Art by Ted Larson)
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Daniel 7:15-27
This selection from the Book of Daniel contains the interpretation of his dream which was described in the first fifteen verses of this chapter. Much of this imagery is consistent with but had different means from what was later used by St. John in his Revelations.
The four kingdoms were those described in Daniel 2:36-45 in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and were discussed Tuesday of this week. They represent the Babylonian (gold), the Median (silver), the Persian (bronze), and the Hellenistic (iron). The image of the final kingdom is interpreted in St. John’s Revelation as being the Roman Empire, in this instance it refers to Alexander’s kingdom.
The NAB Footnote describes this imagery in the context of the dream: “Alexander's empire was different from all the others in that it was Western rather than Oriental in inspiration. The ten horns represent the kings of the Seleucid dynasty, the only part of the Hellenistic empire that concerned the author. The little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.), the worst of the Seleucid kings, who usurped the throne.”
The reference to the persecutions of the holy ones by the “fourth beast” points at Antiochus IV. He attempted to force the Jews to give up their customs and adopt Hellenistic traditions (1 Macc 1:33-34). The Ancient One in this setting refers to God the Father; we might also interpret these remarks prophetically referring also the Christ, the Son, eternally begotten of the Father. In the final verses, heavenly court is convened and God’s eternal reign is promised.
Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
The selection from Daniel used as a Psalm Response is once more take from the chant of by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This long hymn of praise (from verse 24 to verse 90) is used extensively in the Liturgy of the Hours on Feasts and High Holy Days as our united song of praise to the Father
Gospel Luke 21:34-36
Jesus again finds it necessary to remind his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate.
Reflection:
On this final day of out liturgical year the Holy Scripture appropriately causes us to look at the end of our own time. As we read the apocalyptic imagery in Daniel and see those images appear in other places with different meanings, we get the sense that time for God is not our time. Even the sequence of events are scrambled with references forward and backward through out all eternity. In this we are given the sense (although it sometimes hurts our heads to try to take it all in) that the Lord sees all creation and all time at once. For Him there is no beginning and no end, indeed we catch a blurred glimpse of the Alpha and the Omega.
Even as we contemplate God’s omnipotence, we sense his love for us. His Son, as we hear in St. Luke’s Gospel, reminds us one more time that we must not become complacent with our faith. We have learned that, in Christ, we find the promise of salvation and the peace His own peace. If we look away, just for a moment, the forces that oppose all we believe are there waiting for us. The beast with ten horns may have been a symbolic representation of the evil use of power in Daniel’s day. But that same evil is still alive and well in the world today.
As this year draws to an end and we are once more looking forward to the celebration that begins with Evening Prayer tonight, the Advent of the Lord. We pause and pray that we can remain steadfast in our faith, faithful in our worship, and constant in our prayer as we enter yet another year of rejoicing in the Lord. Happy New Year!
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Beast with Ten Horns” Ted Larson (see Digital Art by Ted Larson)
No comments:
Post a Comment