TODAY'S READINGS
WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT
Lectionary: 253
Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”
King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”
Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Verse Before the Gospel
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Gospel Jn 8:31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
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FACING A FIERY FURNACE?
In today's first reading, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego face the fiery furnace. In the Gospel reading, Jesus faces the cross. What are you facing that's difficult or fearsome? A painful task? The uncertainty of a rocky relationship? Perhaps you've been wrestling with your conscience because a Christian decision could cost you your job or a promotion.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were so devoted to God that they were willing to die for him. Jesus was so devoted to you and me and everyone else that he was willing to die for us. Love hurts. Love means making sacrifices that are painful. The question in every difficulty is: How much do we really love God? It's measured by how much we love those whom he loves.
When I think of the person I like least of all, it occurs to me that since Jesus suffered and sacrificed his life for that person, can't I at least be kind to him or her? When I think of all that I want to do with my life and remember that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to give it all up for God, can't I at least give up a portion of my life to serve God with my talents and money in the parish and the Internet and other places?
God is not asking much of us, not really. He's not asking us to die for him -- although who knows? For some who are reading this reflection, that could be the glorious way that they will go Home to him.
Is that a scary thought? When reading the lives of Saints who were martyred, I've wondered, "How could they die so joyfully?" Some of them were tortured terribly. How could they endure it so happily? The answer, I've noticed, is that God gave them special graces to do whatever they were called to do at the time they did it. If they were willing to say yes to die for him, he gave them a supernatural joy like you and I have never experienced because we've never needed it. If he asks us to enter our own fiery furnaces, he will give us that same gift.
He helps us through every little martyrdom that we face. If we are willing to sacrifice a job or a promotion or a relationship or an easy life for the sake of standing firm in our love for God, then God gives us an extra dose of grace so that we can endure the hardship. We still feel pain (so did Jesus), but it's easier to bear when we're covered by grace.
Instead of saying no or serving grudgingly and sparingly with our money or ministry, we can say yes and expect God's help. Instead of hesitating because the task looks fearsome, we can say yes and receive supernatural grace to endure it.
It's in the toughest of times that we spiritually grow the fastest, leaping into the life of Christ, getting through the pain of the cross all the way to the glory of the resurrection.
Today's Prayer
Lord, getting through the pain of the cross is possible only by going hand in hand with You. Help me, in those difficult moments, to unite my sufferings to Yours. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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