Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 - Wednesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 and Luke 21:12-19]Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace. When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched, his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook, and his knees knocked. [Daniel]
The Book of Daniel is loved by those who appreciate apocalyptic literature because of its visions of the end of time The setting of the book is during the Babylonian exile, but it was written within 200 years of Jesus' birth and was intended to provide encouragement to the Jewish people resisting the "hellenization" program of King Antiochus Epiphanes, against whom the Maccabees led the rebellion. It takes its name from the boy hero, Daniel, who is gifted with wisdom and discernment. His visions in chapters 7 to 12 spark the interest of apocalyptically inclined folks. But there are other parts of the book that capture attention, and King Belshazzar's feast, featured in today's first scripture, is one of them. (Yes, there is the Lion's den and Susannah, etc. too.) The king's reaction to "the handwriting on the wall" always makes me think of the old movie cartoons of Casper the friendly ghost.
The 'handwriting on the wall' in the story meant pretty much what we mean when we use the expression today. It is both description and warning. It means that we are already in trouble and there is more to come unless radical change is initiated, and it may be too late! King Belshazzar and his guests were having a banquet using the sacred vessels and other items taken from the temple in Jerusalem. The 'handwriting on the wall' interrupts the party big time! We experience this in many ways that we would lump under the title of 'crisis.' Poor judgment in health care, finances, sexuality, consumption habits, etc. - these can provide more than enough handwriting on the wall. For those who have faith, that handwriting reminds us and warns us that we cannot escape God and responsibility for what we do in those areas of human life. Life-style decisions that lead to health or financial crises are often linked to an inability to integrate what we truly believe of Jesus' teachings with the way we live day to day. The Gospel According to Luke has a number of examples: The Rich Man and Lazarus is a good one to read. In that case, the Rich Man didn't even see the 'handwriting on the wall' that was at his doorstep.
There is more to come this week from Daniel. But we can be grateful for the reminder that we may have some handwriting on our own walls that demand our attention. God's penmanship is unmistakable. AMEN