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1st Reading: Daniel
2:31-45
In a vision, Daniel
sees four kingdoms destroyed by a stone falling from the mountain, which
proceeds to fill the whole earth.
"You were looking,
O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its briliance
extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening.
The head of a statue was of fine gold., its chest and arms of silver, its
middle and thighs of bronze, it legs of iron, its feet partly
of iron and partly of clay. As you looked on , a stone was cut out , not by
human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke
them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay,
the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer
threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone
that struck the statue became great mountain and filled the earth.
"This was the
dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of
kings- to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might,
and the glory, into whose hand he has
given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the
birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all- you are
the head of gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and
yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.
And there shall be a
fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it
shall crush and shatter all these. As you saw the feet and toes partly of
potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of
the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay.
As toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be
partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will
they mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as
iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be
left to another people. It shall crush
all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever;
just as you saw that a stone was cut from the silver, and the gold. The great
God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and
its interpretation trustworthy."
Gospel:
Luke 21:5-11
Don't be misled about
the end of the world
When some were speaking
about the temple, how is was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated
to God, Jesus said, " As for these things that you see, the days will come
when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."
They asked him, "
Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to
take place?" And he said, " Beware that you are not led astray; for
many will come in my name and say, ' I am he!' and , ' The time is near!' Do
not go after them.
"When you hear of
wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place
first, but the end will not follow immediately. " Then he said to them,
" Nations will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there
will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there
will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
REFLECTIONS
AND MEDITATIONS ON THE READINGS
As we near the end of
the church year we meet some of the most symbolic literature in the Bible,
dealing with the end of the world which also ranks among the Bible's most
popular parts among certain circles with a taste for the apocalyptic style.
Assessing with eyes of faith, we see so many human efforts to dominate others,
controlled by personal interests and pride. We see a statue, similar to that
shown in Nebuchadnezzar's vision. This statue with its four principal sections
represented the four kingdoms, as the Israelites remembered them: of the
Babylonians, Medes, Persians and Greeks. No matter how closer they were, and seemingly invincible, they collapsed. The
message from the reading is that world empire and prestige, material wealth,
political clout- none of these can last forever. The only thing that lasts is
what God achieves in our lives; this becomes; " a kingdom that shall never
be destroyed." But we may pass through many difficulties before eventually
the good deeds, like the wheat, will be harvested by the son of Man when he
comes in glory.
Jesus tells His followers
not to be too ready to believe what they hear from what people are saying. It
is because these do not necessarily spell the end. The message being given to
us from the gospel reading is that the end does not follow immediately. It is
because nobody, no president, no legislation, no books and writings, no
government is adequate to the Gospel or can replace it and its message of
compassion, justice and love. No government can adequately embody our
Gospel of life and so don't think it
will.
Hakuna maoni:
Chapisha Maoni