*** 1st Reading ***

 Daniel 2: 31-45*

In your vision you saw a statue – very large, very bright, terrible to look at.

 Its head was of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,  its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.  As you watched, a rock cut from a mountain but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smash­ing them.  But the rock that struck the statue became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.

That was the dream. Now the in­terpretation.   You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given dominion, strength, power and glory,   and into whose hand he has placed humankind,(…….) You are that head of gold.

After you, another kingdom inferior to yours will rise. Then a third kingdom of bronze will rule the whole world.  Last shall be a fourth kingdom strong as iron.(…..) The partly-clay and partly-iron feet and toes mean that it will be a divided kingdom; And as the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak.(…..)

 In the time of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom never to be destroyed or delivered up to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and put an end to them. And it will endure forever.   

This is the meaning of your vision of a rock cut from a mountain not by human hands, the rock which struck the statue and broke into pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver and gold.(…..) The dream is true and its interpretation reliable.”

 

Dn  3  Give glory and eternal praise to him.

 

**** Gospel ****

Luke 21: 5-11

 While some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them,   “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.”   And they asked him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

 Jesus said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying: ‘I am he, the Messiah; the time is near at hand!’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and troubled times, don’t be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will op­pose kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.

 

Gospel Reflection:

“TAKE CARE NOT TO BE DECEIVED, FOR MANY WILL COME IN MY NAME.”

“Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”

What a nightmare! No wonder many people are indeed afraid of the end of time. Despite this fear, however, the words of the Lord are certain. They will come to pass. But something should catch our attention. Although these things will occur, it will not be the end yet.

So why should this happen first? From a spiritual perspective, this could be part of the final test which may be our last chance. These horrifying events will not be trivial happenings but crucial ones for us to show the strength of our faith. Will we be running around or remain in constant prayer?

Will we be complaining about the deaths that will result from the destructions or we will be assessing our lives as death is dawning for us too? Will we be hiding in fear or we go out and help people recognize that the time is near and that we are in need of repentance? Will we fall helpless and desperate or faithful and at peace?