Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - Wednesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 and Luke 21:12-19]"This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words means: MENE, God has numbesrd your kingdom and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." [Daniel]
The Book of Daniel is the most recent of the prophetic books in the Bible, dating from about 167-164 BC. Like the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, it is principally a book of apocalyptic literature, written for a community under persecution - when Jews were being ruled by a Greek-oriented king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. For many folks, the quotation above will reveal to them how the expression: "The handwriting on the wall" got into common speech! The colorful language and the heroic character of Daniel have attracted many would-be predictors of the end times.
Daniel's wisdom shines through the expression, however. Powerful figures have often ignored "the handwriting on the wall" that would call them to account for their conduct, but one does not have to be a powerful figure to find the expression applicable. "Denial" can be found in all walks of life and all generations. If something can be threatening to a treasured or addictive way, it can be "denied" and the destructive conduct continued until disaster occurs. Jesus faced the forces of "denial" during his ministry. A carpenter from Nazareth could not possibly be the Messiah. His life, death and resurrection are a continual "handwriting on the wall" to the world. We can ask ourselves, even as Catholic Christians, whether or not we pay enough attention to that message! AMEN