Reading 1 Dn 2:31-45
Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:
"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,
very large and exceedingly bright,
terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
The head of the statue was pure gold,
its chest and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,
its feet partly iron and partly tile.
While you looked at the statue,
a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put to it,
struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,
fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,
and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.
But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.
"This was the dream;
the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
You, O king, are the king of kings;
to you the God of heaven
has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,
he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all;
you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,
then a third kingdom, of bronze,
which shall rule over the whole earth.
There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron;
it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,
just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron,
mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,
but yet have some of the hardness of iron.
As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
and the toes partly iron and partly tile,
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
The iron mixed with clay tile
means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,
but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the lifetime of those kings
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people;
rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain
without a hand being put to it,
which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future;
this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."
Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61
R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"You heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
Gospel Lk 21:5-11
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here?
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
"I am he," and "The time has come."
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."
Meditation: Daniel 2:31-45
“The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed.” (Daniel 2:44)
The early chapters of the Book of Daniel present several stories of bravery and wisdom on the part of loyal followers of God during the Babylonian exile. In today’s episode, Daniel’s God-given wisdom is highlighted as he interprets a mysterious dream for King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel foretells that the king’s reign will be succeeded by weaker and weaker kingdoms, and finally overthrown when God himself establishes his everlasting kingdom.
This story makes a point of tremendous importance: God is the Lord of history. He is in charge, no matter what governments rule on earth. Ultimately, God will establish his own kingdom, no matter how strong other regimes seem to be. In the end, his justice, holiness, and love will prevail.
This truth should give us confidence when we look at situations in our lives and when we consider the needs and crises of the world at large. No matter how difficult a given situation may seem, the kingdom of God will triumph. God certainly will win in the end! That’s why we can intercede boldly, confident that our prayers are directed to the King of kings.
If you have difficulty embracing this truth, you may find it helpful to recall the outcome of difficulties in the past. As the saying goes: “Hindsight is 20/20.” Look back over your life and think about ways that God helped you navigate challenging situations, even if his victory didn’t come immediately. Let your own experience of “sacred history” prove that God will ultimately win in whatever challenges you may be facing right now. The wisdom of God is so much higher than our wisdom. His power is so much greater than the power of evil. Even if we don’t understand his ways, we can still trust in him.
So be persistent in your faith. The Lord of history is with you. He will work things out according to his all encompassing wisdom. Holding fast to your confidence in Christ, you can snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat!
“Lord Jesus, you reign over everything! How can I fail to trust you, who are the Lord of all? My confidence is in you. I know that you work out all things according to the wisdom and mercy of your plan!”
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