＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Daniel 5: 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28*

 (…..) Under the influence of wine,

king Belshazzar ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Je­rusalem be brought in so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them. (….)

 Suddenly a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lamp­stand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace. Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale.  So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way.

 Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, (……)Daniel replied, “(…..)You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones,(…….);

 but you never glorified God who has power over your life and all your fortunes.   So he sent the hand that wrote the inscription  which read MENE, MENE, TE­KEL, PARSIN. And these words mean:

  MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it;   TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;   PARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”

 

Dn  3  Give glory and eternal praise to him.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 21: 12-19

 Before all this happens, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors.   This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.

 You will be betrayed even by parents, and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.  But even though because of my name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish.  

By your patient endurance you will save your souls.

 

Gospel Reflection：

“BY YOUR PATIENT ENDURANCE YOU WILL SAVE YOUR SOULS.”

“Before all these things happen” is an interesting phrase which opens the gospel test today. This means that Jesus is referring to things that will transpire before all the catastrophic and cataclysmic occurrences earlier described. At hindsight, the Lord is talking about the thins that could happen every day.

We do not need to wait for the great warnings and signs that are part of what may be called the final test. Every day we are already tested. Every day we are given opportunities to give witness.

Every day we are given chances to demonstrate the resolve of our faith. Every day we are given occasions to prove our commitment to Christ. There are possible persecutions every day. And by these means we show either we are on the side of the Lord or not.

These persecutions may come from enemies from different sides: from our faith opponents, from political figures, and even from our own families. And they may be few or everyone. The exhortation that Jesus gives is for us to be strong and to hold on to God no matter what: “By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”