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| “The Siege of Jerusalem, David Roberts, 1839 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Daniel 2:31-45
Commentary on Dn 2:31-45
In this selection, Daniel interprets the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. “The four successive kingdoms in this apocalyptic perspective are the Babylonian (gold), the Median (silver), the Persian (bronze), and the Hellenistic (iron). The last, after Alexander's death, was divided among his generals (Daniel 2:41-42). The two resulting kingdoms, which most affected the Jews, were the dynasty of the Ptolemies in Egypt and that of the Seleucids in Syria, who tried in vain, by war and through intermarriage, to restore the unity of Alexander's empire (Daniel 2:43). The stone hewn from the mountain is the messianic kingdom awaited by the Jews (Daniel 2:44-45). Our Lord made this image personal to himself; cf Luke 20:17-18.”[4] The moral of this vision for the faithful is: God has supreme authority over all civil and political rulers.
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Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61
R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
Commentary on Dn 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61
The selection from Daniel, used as a Psalm Response, is taken from the chant sung by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they were cast into a furnace to be burned. This long hymn of praise (from verse 24 to verse 90) is broken into three litanies. This is the first. It praises God's active presence in the world. Subsequent sections praise all that grows upon the earth and finally humankind in its various categories.
CCC: Dn 3:57-58 2416
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Gospel: Luke 21:5-11
Commentary on Lk 21:5-11
This selection is part of St. Luke’s version of Jesus' eschatological (end times) discourse. This version differs significantly from the version found in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 13:1-37) in that it does not anticipate the parousia (second coming) within the lifetime of the audience. We note from many of St. Paul’s epistles that the early Christian community anticipated that Jesus was coming again within their lifetimes.
In this passage, Jesus points to events in the future as opposed to those that would have occurred during the author’s lifetime. St. Luke focuses on the Christian Community living the faith from day to day. He relates how Jesus told the disciples of the coming persecutions and bid them to trust in the Holy Spirit who would keep their souls safe from harm.
CCC: Lk 21:4 2544
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Reflection:
As we reflect upon the two eschatological readings given today, we are struck by the underlying premise that the truly important things in life are not material. In point of fact, all things material must pass away. If we pour our hearts into such things, whether it is the accumulation of wealth or the labor of our hands, in the end these “things” will pass away. While taken by itself this may seem rather depressing, there is good news here as well.
The implication of both the readings from Daniel and the Gospel of St. Luke is that, while the physical structures of this world are transient and they will fail, the material that they are made of will take on new form; there is something eternal. It is a state of being that exists, not in Einsteinian Space/Time, but outside those temporal boundaries. (Sorry for the lapse into physics but it is the only way to distinguish the physical and the metaphysical.)
It is this state of being we call the soul that has an eternal quality, and is of ultimate importance. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit which will form our resurrected bodies that we must take care to strengthen and preserve from harm. This is wonderful news because no matter what the world cares to throw at us, no matter how painful or depressing our physical condition, we can rise above it if we keep our eyes focused on that which is love itself, the indwelling spirit of God.
This is the spirit that will be unaffected by any cataclysm, regardless of scope. This is the divine spark that we see as part of the Lord himself. Our actions, our passions, should be directed to preserving, building, and glorifying that which is indestructible, rather than physical things that will pass away.
As we charge toward our Advent of joy, let us pray that our eyes will always be focused clearly on the important and eternal, and not be caught up in the secular drive for the material.
Pax
[1] The Picture used is “The Siege of Jerusalem, David Roberts, 1839
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB footnote on Daniel 2:36-45
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