Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr)

Proper readings of the Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria
 
Biographical information about St. Catherine of Alexandria
 
In the Dioceses of the United States: Mass for Thanksgiving Day

“Daniel in the Lion’s Den”
by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1615

 
Readings for Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 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.”
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Commentary on Dn 6:12-28
 
The story of Daniel in the lions’ den is one of the great tales from the Old Testament. We find the moral compelling: Daniel’s faithfulness to God and his refusal to abandon his faith and pray to King Darius is rewarded by God. Daniel is thrown into a deep pit where lions are kept. The pit is sealed so he cannot escape. The king is amazed at Daniel’s salvation through an angel of the Lord who came to seal the jaws of the lions so no harm would come to him. So miraculous was this salvific event that the King proclaimed that only the Lord is God and he alone should be worshiped throughout the kingdoms of Media and Persia.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74
 
R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Nights and days, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
 
“Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.”
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
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Commentary on Dn 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74
 
The selection from Daniel used as a psalm response is once more take from the chant by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This long hymn of praise (from verse 24 to verse 90) is is broken into three litanies. This selection concludes the first.  It praises God's creation of physical phenomena.  Subsequent sections praise all that grows upon the earth and finally humankind in its various categories.
 
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Gospel: Luke 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.”
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Commentary on Lk 21:20-28
 
The apocalyptic discourse continues in St. Luke’s Gospel. The first part of this section deals with the destruction of Jerusalem (which actually took place in 70 AD). Since this event took place before the Gospel was published, Luke and his community look back upon the event. This provides the assurance that, just as Jesus' prediction of Jerusalem's destruction was fulfilled, so too will the announcement of their final redemption come to pass. The prediction itself is validated by the historical account of Eusebius of Casoria. When the Christians saw the approach of the Roman armies they recalled Christ’s prediction and fled across the Jordan.[4]
 
The second part of the reading provides a description of the actual events of the end times. The Lord assures his disciples that he will return and those who follow him should not be afraid, even as the terrible signs manifest themselves upon the earth.
 
CCC: Lk 21:24 58, 674; Lk 21:27 671, 697
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Reflection:
 
Sacred Scripture holds up Daniel’s faithfulness and Jesus’ assurance that those of us who are faithful will find redemption in him.  How can we not be attracted to the story and example of Daniel at this time of year?  The analogy is so apt. 
 
Let’s set Daniel’s story in contemporary times:  Daniel was a faithful Christian but was ordered by civil mandate that he must refrain from any mention of his God or faith publicly.  One Christmas he decided he would erect a manger scene in his front yard.  Some members of his community association ran immediately to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and demanded that they sue Daniel for violating this mandate.
 
The judge did not want to try the case because Daniel was a well-respected member of the community, and he too was a Christian (although a secret one for fear of the ACLU).  Because the rules said so, he was forced to bring the case to trial.  The attorney for the ACLU roared like a lion.  “How dare Daniel insult the non-Christians by erecting the despicable symbol of a post-natal family gathering in a farmyard in his front yard, against the rules of his community association?”
 
But during deliberations, an angel of the Lord came (invisibly) to the jury and influenced them to find that the rules did not prohibit the display of religious symbols.  So impressed were the members of the Daniel’s community that a proclamation went out throughout the neighborhood and all of the Christians decorated their yards and put up Christmas trees and God saw all this and thought it was good.
 
The story may seem fanciful, but the message found throughout Scripture is clear. Our faith in the Triune God and all the Lord stands for will come under attack by those who desire power over us.  Our sacred duty is to stay faithful to the teachings and morality handed down to us through the millennia as the sacred trust of Holy Mother Church and passed faithfully on to us.  As we have always seen, failure can have eternal consequences.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1615.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] History of the Church from Christ to Constantine Vol. 3,Ch 5, 3.