Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 - 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 HANDWRITING ON THE WALL!!!! Now there's a biblical expression that has kept its power over the centuries! The Book of Daniel was written long after the fall of the Babylonian empire, which is foretold in the story, but the story is a wonderful preaching! For those of us who remember the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons, the king's reaction resembles those of the characters who meet Casper! But the king's reaction could easily be ours as well. I am thinking of the condemned soul in the middle of MIchelangelo's famous mural of the Last Judgment on the wall of the Sistine Chapel! Getting bad news is no fun!
In the gospel passage today, Jesus puts some handwriting on the wall for those who would be his disciples. They will suffer for their commitment. In the Book of Daniel, the king's empire will be punished because of what his armies did to Jerusalem and the temple.
A similar expression to the handwriting on the wall is "a Day of Reckoning!" The handwriting on the wall is a response to those who live as if there is no day of reckoning for their behavior. This message comes to us over and over in the Bible, and Matthew 25:31-45 (the scene painted by Michelangelo) is a vivid foretelling. For those who are faithful, the handwriting will be on their hearts with a welcome message. Those who live as if there is no day of reckoning will find that handwriting on the wall of their lives. We may all at one time or another have some handwriting on the wall in our lives, but if we take the warning seriously and live for the day of reckoning, we have no need to fear! AMEN