Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 54 Letters or Gifts for Monks

Mass: Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; Resp Ps (Dn 3); Jn 8:31-42

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

My deliverer from angry nations, you set me above my assailants; you saved me from the violent man, O Lord.

(Entrance Antiphon, Mass)

We have others, along with Susanna from Monday, put to the test in another one of my favorite readings that comes to us at today's Mass, namely, the account of Shedrach, Meschach, and Abednego, who were cast into the white-hot furnace because they would not serve the god, or the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And it happens that I have in front of me a favorite picture postcard from the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome. It's of a fresco of the three young men in the furnace "unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire" (Dn 3:92). I turn to the many verses left out from today's reading from time to time and today is a good day to join the young men in the furnace, who "walked about in the flames, singing to God and blessing the Lord (Dn 3:24). It was Azariah (Abednego), who "stood up and prayed aloud" ( Dn 3:25), Blessed are you and praiseworthy, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and glorious forever is your name ... (Dn 3:26-45). When the furnace, then, continued to be stoked by the king's men, the angel of the Lord (also in my picture postcard) went down into the furnace and drove out the fiery flames (Dn 3:49). Then all three young men "with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God" (Dn 3:51): Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever ... Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever ... (Dn 3:52-90). No matter how hot the flames become today, may they be tamed with our praise of the Lord. One never knows what may happen. Hearts may turn from hearts of stone, to natural hearts of flesh (Ezk 36:26), including our own.

Yet is was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured ...

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth ...

(Is 53:4,7)

Today's photo: It's been since last spring that I've had a look at something like this in Eureka. Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever. 

© Gertrude Feick 2022