Word to the Wise
Monday, November 23, 2009 - Monday in the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
[Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 and Luke 21:1-4]When the king had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they entered the king's service. In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom. [Daniel]
Daniel and his companions manage to get in and out of all kinds of scrapes and tests, including the food test, the hot furnace, and the lions' den. At times it reminds me of those various "adventure series" that I read as a boy! One of Daniel's special talents appears to be that of interpreting dreams and visions! Those Babylonian kings seemed to have been vivid dreamers, for sure! Then, there is the famous "handwriting on the wall" and the story of Suzannah and her accusers! Daniel shows himself to be a regular Sherlock Holmes! Today's adventure is the one that begins the Book of Daniel. It involves the "food test." Veggans would probably sit up and take notice of this one! Daniel and his companions mamnage a deal whereby they secretly eat food (vegetables and water) that is in keeping with kosher instead of what the king was sending from his own table. There is high drama in that Daniel doesn't want the servant to get in trouble for providing the special diet! In any case, by keeping to their principles, Daniel and companions and everyone come out OK in the end! They are healthier as well than the others who ate from the king's table! By now, the reader should be waiting for the words: "The moral of the story is........." That is precisely the point of much of the Book of Daniel. It is designed to offer comfort to those who were suffering under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes, the king featured recently in Maccabees! The Book of Daniel, however, has also attained a status among some who believe it predicts the end of time, etc. Pious Jews saw it more in terms of a Messiah who would come in their own lifetimes to rescue Israel. The latter interpretation is the one most likely to be true to the text. Many of us remember the stories of great saints and martyrs that were told to us in religious class, etc. as examples to follow when being Catholic could be inconvenient and challenging. The Book of Daniel was intended to have the same effect back in its own time. We can still take the lesson of standing firm on principle and use it every day. AMEN
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