“SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”
Daily Spiritual Reflections
25th November 2021
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THURSDAY, THIRTY FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Dan 6: 12-28; Dan 3: 68-74; Lk 21: 20-28
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GOD’S LIBERATION IS AT HAND
‘Armies… devastation… escape… bewilderment… dying by fear… stand erect… liberation.’ Today’s dramatic gospel passage weds together unlikely words and phrases. What did Jesus mean by sharing this piece of prophecy with the disciples? Surely, it was not to frighten or impress. Rather it seems He wanted to instil in the disciples and through them, in all of us, the confident reassurance that no matter what might come to pass, God has the final word. The future is in his control, even when we feel that it is spinning out of our control.
Think of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. “Fleeing to the mountains” implies leaving behind all their security – homes, belongings, etc. And then there are those who must face the terrors in earth and sky. These are situations similar to what Daniel faces in the den of lions, imminent raw danger. Yet it is precisely in these situations, whether in our private lives or the world around us, that Jesus exhorts us to “stand erect, for your liberation is near at hand.” Jesus reminds us not to fall prey to the temptation to allow the changing scenarios around us to overwhelm or drown us in a sea of fear and terror.
‘Covid19… Joblessness… Taliban… quarantine… financial insecurity… online masses… stand erect… heads high… liberation!’ When we pair these words together, does it seem a mockery? But really, what else can we do than raise our hearts and minds to Jesus who is above all? Where can we find healing for our minds if not in trusting his goodness? How can we finish mourning our loved ones who have died, if we do not release them into the loving hands of our Saviour? The enduring answer to all that life throws at us can only be in Jesus, just as the famous bookmark of St Teresa of Avila says: “Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices!”
Response: Sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
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