The story of Susanna and the Elders is a good counterpoint to today’s gospel. Susanna, who is innocent, is accused of adultery by two Jewish elders. When she spurned their advances, they publicly accused her of sin. The two elders are judges for the Jewish court, which takes place each day in the house of Susanna’s husband.
Because she is a woman, she is not asked for her side of the story, and no one defends her.
The crowd seems to have already decided that she was guilty. She is condemned to death by the assembly with no voice defending her. In the very darkest place of her life, she calls on her “eternal God” begging for help knowing that her God knows the truth.
God answers her prayers in the form of Daniel a young man known to be virtuous and god-fearing. He had been watching the proceedings, stops them and entraps the elders in their lies.
Jesus, too, seems to be “on trial,” as always, by the Pharisees. More arrogant religious leaders probe at Jesus and his odd teachings. With Susanna, it takes the testimony of two men to convict her and the guilty elders step up to do that. In defending himself, Jesus quotes their law back to the Pharisees: “Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified.” He chooses himself and his father – God. His audacity to speak of himself as the son of God continues the drum beat of tension between him and the religious leaders who want him silenced.
Both Jesus and Susanna would have known well Psalm 23, one the most beloved psalms ever written. “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side….” The comforting words of walking in darkness underlines Jesus’ testimony that he is the light of the world. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
“Loving God, we ask for the grace to remember that you walk next to us in our darkest times, when it may be difficult to see you. Give us the wisdom to also seek you out when our lives are going well. Your presence in our ordinary, busy days is a great gift, easily overlooked. Help us be grateful, always for you in our lives.”
Maureen McCann Waldron
The most important part of my life is my family – Jim my husband of 47 years and our two children. Our daughter Katy, a banker here in Omaha, and her husband John, have three wonderful children: Charlotte, Daniel and Elizabeth Grace. Our son Jack and his wife, Ellie, have added to our joy with their sons, Peter and Joseph.
I think family life is an incredible way to find God, even in (or maybe I should say, especially in) the most frustrating or mundane moments.
I am a native of the East Coast after graduating in 1971 from Archbishop John Carroll High School in suburban Philadelphia. I graduated from Creighton University in 1975 with a degree in Journalism and spent most of the next 20 years in corporate public relations in Omaha. I returned to Creighton in the 1990s and completed a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality in 1998.
As our children were growing up, my favorite times were always family dinners at home when the four of us would talk about our days. But now that our kids are gone from home, my husband and I have rediscovered how nice it is to have a quiet dinner together. I also have a special place in my heart for family vacations when the kids were little and four of us were away from home together. It’s a joy to be with my growing family.
Writing a Daily Reflection is always a graced moment, because only with God’s help could I ever write one. I know my own life is hectic, disjointed and imperfect and I know most of us have lives like that. I usually write from that point of view and I always seem to find some sentence, some word in the readings that speaks right to me, in all of my imperfection. I hope that whatever I write is in some way supportive of others.
It’s an incredibly humbling experience to hear from someone who was touched by something I wrote. Whether the note is from someone across campus or across the world, it makes me realize how connected we are all in our longing to grow closer to God.
