Joseph Mallord William Turner: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Burning Fiery Furnace – Tate Museum, UK
Today we choose verses from this well-known and well-loved story.
None of us is exempt from trials in the fiery furnace. Some of us suffer greatly; some only a little. Nevertheless, pain comes to each and all of us. And so we pray that in our difficult days, we will turn – as these young men do – to the one who saves. We pray that the angel of the LORD – as God promises – accompanies us in our fiery ordeals. And we pray that – as Christ calls us to do – to muster our courage to step forward into the promise of life.
Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego! Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!
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Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives – Charles Le Brun: The Brazen Serpent
Today we explore a story we often hear during the Lenten season when we are called to make reparations. In today’s Noontime, we see people who have tired of living a life of bare survival in the desert with only manna to eat. They complain as they long for the milk and honey that Yahweh has promised. Serpents appear and begin to bite them and so Moses intercedes. The Old Testament image of God is so different from the compassionate image in the New Testament; but today we examine the similarity between the disease and the cure. The bronze serpent made by Moses heals those bitten by the living serpents. And so we ask . . .
Do we too often steer ourselves away from an obstacle when the cure lies in our willingness to enter God’s plan? Do we fear too much and trust too little? Are we as stiff-necked as the people we observe today? Do we complain too much? Do we ask too little? Do we understand God’s mystery, goodness and grace?
Adapted from a reflection written on August 15, 2007.
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This week as we move toward Palm Sunday, we spend time with each morning’s first reading for daily liturgy. Today we explore our hearts as we look at our commitment to our covenant with God.
We ask . . . Do I feel present to others in God’s love? How do I act on the promises I have made to God? How does God interact with me? How do I interact with others – both those who follow Christ and those who do not? Am I aware of The Law written within? And if not, what do I do to open myself to the Spirit?
Domenico Fetti: The Parable of the Mote and the Beam
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Adapted from a Favorite written on September 11, 2009.
At times we are called to rebuke one another. At times we are rebuked by our sisters and brothers. Most of us steer clear of conflict when we can. Some of us relish conflict; it gives us a place to hide from our own troubles. Others do not like conflict but engage in it when they feel they must, answering God’s calls to a particular place or person. Today we read about people being denounced for their dishonesty. This is a familiar portion of Isaiah often referenced as Jesus gathers the lost sheep lead astray by corrupt leaders.
There is a huge difference between self-examination and seeking self. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus makes this clear to us as he tells the parable of the blind leading the blind. In this story he asks us to look at the splinter of wood in our neighbor’s eye afterwe remove the beam from our own (Luke 6:39-42). He calls us to the difficult task of opening our hearts for healing, of making ourselves available for discipleship, of looking out for the common good before our own.
We always seem to forget that we need not fuss about all that is around us when we first make room in each day for Christ to enter into our thoughts and actions. Some of us, because we put the world first, are like pegs fastened in secure places but still are cut down and perish.We believe we have everything in place to ensure our happiness at the expense of others yet even as we close ourselves off to hoard our dreams, we set ourselves up for denunciation. When we enter into or avoid conflict based on our own comfort levels, weset ourselves up for denunciation. When we begin and end each day without Christ, we set ourselves up for denunciation. When we make each day’s journey without dedicating all we do to Christ, we set ourselves up for denunciation.
So rather than seek our own ease, rather than look at other people’s splinters, we must look to our perspectives, motivations and actions. These beams we remove from our own eyes will tell us if we are setting ourselves up for denunciation. And after reading Isaiah, this is an understanding we will want to gain. It is action we will want to take. It is love we will want to share.
Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law in Matthew 8:14–15, Mark 1:29–31, and Luke 4:38–41
Several years ago, we spent time with the prophet Jeremiah to study his life, his word, and his meaning for the faithful in the twenty-first Century. Today we focus on a few verses at the opening of his prophecy when he argues with God to say that he is an inadequate vessel for God’s word.
I answered, “Sovereign Lord, I don’t know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (GNT)
When we are weary or feel that are out of our depth, we remember God’s deep love and irrepressible willingness to support Jeremiah. And we know that God loves us as well as God loves this able servant.
The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”(NRSV)
When we believe that we do not have the skill or tools to do the work of kingdom-building, we remember the profound constancy and resilient wisdom God shows Jeremiah. And we know that God guides and protects us as well.
“Don’t say, ‘I’m just a child.’ “For you will go to whomever I send you, and you will speak whatever I order you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you, says Adonai, to rescue you.”(CJB)
When we see our circumstances as dire and our environment unsustainable, we remember that Jeremiah also felt bereft and useless. And we know that God consoles and heals.
The Lord said to me, “Don’t say that you are only a boy. You will go wherever I send you. You will say whatever I command you to say. Don’t be afraid of people. I am with you, and I will rescue you,” declares the Lord. (GW)
When we see our plans destroyed and our lives upended, we remember that Jeremiah also felt abandoned and misunderstood. And we know that God will always accompany us in the difficult work that lies ahead of us. God will always free us from our fears.
The Lord said to me . . . The Lords says to each if us . . . I will rescue you . . . do not be afraid . . . I will protect you . . . do not say, “I am only a child” . . . I will be with you always . . .
When we use multiple translations to explore these verses, we understand more fully the depth, width, and breadth of God’s wisdom, care, and love.
In some versions of the Bible, we find this psalm as the final portion of psalm 42. It may begin in this manner: Grant me justice, O God; defend me from a faithless people . . . Or it may begin differently: Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people . . .
No matter the style, the psalmist here presents the universal plea humans have when they come to God: I see myself as wronged . . . and I want you to put things right.
The Meditation in MAGNIFICAT today serves as a perfect solution for our very human desire to seek vindication; it speaks to our peace of heart. This is an idea we investigated from time to time when we look at the troubles Job experienced. Each of us lives a life of trial in one way or another and it is for those times that Saint Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Passionists, writes: The easiest way to keep your peace of heart is to accept everything as coming from the hands of God who loves you. If you do this, any pain or persecution, anything which is difficult to accept will be transformed into a source of joy, happiness, and peace . . . This does not mean to say that God sends disaster to trip us up. Nor is this saying that God delights in punishing us. The opposite is true. God so loves us that when calamity occurs, God wishes most to transform all damage and harm into goodness and fruitfulness. This is why it is imperative that we maintain constant, open contact with God, otherwise we will misinterpret all that happens to us and around us.
St. Paul continues: Silence and recollection are two very effective ways of bringing ourselves before the Lord and entering into the sanctuary of [God’s] love . . . When a person comes to terms with his feelings, when he lives in God and walks by the light of faith, he has attained that stillness of the night which God is waiting for. It is then that the Word of God comes to birth in him in a way which is entirely of God. Remain within your deepest self, in the interior kingdom of your spirit. Remember that your soul is a temple of the living God. “The kingdom of God is within you”.
We may have difficulty in finding these quiet times to be still and so St. Paul continues with this counsel: Night and day let your aim be to remain in simplicity and gentleness, calmness and serenity, and in freedom from created things, so that you will find joy in the Lord Jesus. Love silence and solitude, even when in the midst of a crowd or when caught up in your work.
By living in the world but not of it, by keeping our line of communication with God open and clear at all times, we will understand better what we are to do when disaster strikes – as it always does. We will be more prepared to see the goodness that can come from cataclysm – as it always can. We will sink less into despair, we will rise more into joy. We will find what St. Paul of the Cross calls a certain peace of heart.
When we suffer – as we do – when we are wronged – as we will be – when we wrong others – as we are bound to do, rather than seek vindication, let us seek peace of heart. For when we maintain faith and seek joy, peace arrives, and all else will fall into its perfect place.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 20.10 (2009). Print.
A Favorite from October 20, 2009.
For other translations of these verses, use the scripture link and the drop-down menus.
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Treasure found under water off the Florida coast aboard Nuestra Señora de Atocha
Moving forward in this second week of Lent, we explore the demands the Gospel places on us. Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges is the call to share all that we have hoarded with those who have little.
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
Jesus says: My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God. (Mark 10:24-27, Luke 18:24-27, Matthew 19:23-26)
God says: If you fear your wealth separates your heart from mine, then bring that fear to me. If you worry that your good fortune is a sign that you are distant from me, bring that worry as well. Share what you have with prudence. Give what you can without looking for a reward. Answer the call you hear deep within. When you listen with care, you know that I am the one who has graced you with talents to gather the harvest that fills you. Be generous with this gift of my bounty. Remember that nothing destroys the treasure of a generous heart while the treasures of your world quickly fade into nothing.
As we ponder these thoughts, we recall the words recorded by Matthew and Mark, and we go after the challenge offered by our God. For where your treasure, your heart will be there also. (Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34)
What do we chose to bring to God? What do we hold back When God answers our prayer, are we ready to act upon the result of our petition? When we hesitate to act in God’s name and good will, what is it we fear? Has not God given us the desire of our hearts? Are we afraid that now suddenly God will abandon us? Knowing that God knows all and accompanies us always, what actions do we fear taking as we move forward? And
As we continue our Lenten journey of examination and questions, we look at the story of Moses’ birth, and we reflect upon the answers to prayer that God enacted through this one man’s life.
God saw the people and knew . . .
In DAILY REFLECTIONS FOR LENT: NOT BY BREAD ALONE for Tuesday, February 23, Jay Cormier asks: What prayer are you willing to work for? His question is this: When we perceive an unjust situation – whether it be our own or someone else’s – do we ask for God’s help for the remediation of the injustice? And when we do, are we willing to take the action God will ask us to take?
God sees the people and God knows . . .
We have spent time with the Exodus story in our Noontimes and so may appear to hold nothing new. But what may be new to us is the connection between asking for help and having to act as a consequence of receiving this help. God has many ways of knowing the people, and with this full knowledge, God chooses to act. Once God does, the people are called to respond to a new summons for a different kind of faith journey, a journey that requires their fidelity and perseverance. The people cry out, a hero is born, salvation arrives, yet there is work to be done as a result of this salvation.
God sees the people and God knows . . .
We might meditate on the following today. We cry out, a solution arrives. We rejoice in our salvation. We enter into the work that will transform us.
God sees the people and God knows . . .
Jay Cormier offers the following prayer: Father in heaven, do not let us confine our prayer to words and rituals alone. Open our hearts and inspire our spirits to work and sacrifice for the hopes and dreams we ask of you, you who are the Giver and Sustainer of all life.
And the people say . . . Amen.
God sees us and God knows . . .
Meeks, Wayne A., Gen. Ed. HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE (NRSV). New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Print. (Meeks)
Adapted from a reflection written on February 24, 2010.
This chapter of Exodus tells us the story of Moses in much the same way that folktales of that era recounted the origin of a hero, especially of Sargon of Akkad in the late eighth century before Christ (Meeks 80). Today’s story ends in an interesting way in the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: [God] saw the Israelites and knew . . .
Notes from the HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE point out that the meaning of the Greek word know can have various connotations just as in English. We can know something and care about it, we can know it and be indifferent, or we can know something and then act upon what we know. The NEW AMERICAN version with the ending ellipsis leaves us with something to ponder. [God] saw the Israelites and knew . . .
God – being God – knows all. God knows all before it happens, God knows all presently, God knows all there will ever be to know, and God knows it eternally. God certainly heard and understood the plight of the Hebrew people who had gone to Egypt with Joseph, and later Jacob, the rest of his sons, and all of their families. God knew and comprehended their circumstances. So when the enslaved people groaned and cried out, God heard, understood. God knew they were suffering and God chose to act upon this knowledge. God knows all people in this way. God knows us in this way now.
God saw the people and knew . . .
Tomorrow, knowing God and acting.
Meeks, Wayne A., Gen. Ed. HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE (NRSV). New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Print.
Adapted from a reflection written on February 24, 2010.
Image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Moses_Laid_Amid_the_Flags.jpg
The Noontimes 