Daily Reflections

Memorial of Saint Andrew Düng-Lac
[506] Daniel 6:12-28
Daniel 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74
Luke 21:20-28

I remember, as a child, hearing about Daniel in the Lion’s den and I visualized a picture I remember of Daniel sitting on a rock and “petting the lion” I certainly was not aware of what preceded Daniel being with the lion, only that Daniel’s faith and relationship with God was powerful.

So today’s First Reading describes the preceding scene, when the king sends Daniel to the lion’s den for disobeying the king’s decree. The following lines from today’s first reading tells the story and gives us the message:

“May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you.”
“For I have been found innocent before him; neither to you have I done harm, O king”
“Unhurt because he trusted in God”
“All peace to you!”
“The God of Daniel is to be revered…. His kingdom shall not be destroyed”

All of these lines are a reminder about faith, hope and trust in God, despite what the rest of the world may be telling us. If we look at Daniel’s life, at the time, we hopefully will take away how powerful our faith and our relationship with God can be.

The Gospel from Luke also carries the message in the following lines:

“People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world”
“But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

We are reminded about eternal life with God as an occasion of anticipated joy and not a time to fear. This Gospel hopefully gives us strength to go forward in our lives, living the Gospel messages and looking forward to our redemption and eternal live.