34th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Dn 6:12–28
Gospel: Lk 21:20–28
Jesus said to his disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you must know that the time has come when it will be reduced to a wasteland. Then, if you are in Judea, flee to the mountains; if you are in the city, leave it; and let those who are in the fields not return to the city.
“For these will be the days of its punishment and all that was announced in the Scripture will be fulfilled. How hard will it be for pregnant women and for mothers with babies at the breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land, and divine justice upon this people. They will be put to death by the sword or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the pagans until the time of the pagans is fulfilled. “Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of perplexed nations when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. And at this time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. “Now, when you see the first events, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near.”

Commentary
The great miracle in the story of Daniel in the lion’s den is that he continued to pray. If we, the people of God, stop praying then no lions will threaten us. The mark of true faith is that we keep praying. It shows that we believe in God more than the world. When it is pitch black all you need is one single light and then darkness no longer prevails. The destiny of the Jews, exiled in Babylon, was decided by Daniel’s prayer. The great battle took place there, with Daniel praying to God. Daniel prayed three times a day. If each one of us prayed as often as he prayed then, we would have prayed more than a thousand times. That will not be easy. Prayer is inconvenient, because there is always something else to do and many things to hinder us. In prayer, there are routine clichés that have to be killed, pious mumbles and rhythms to break down. Yet, prayer is the essential breathing of the soul; without it our soul dies. In prayer we articulate our faith and live it out. Let us pray!

________
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc., 8 Mayumi St., U.P. Village, Diliman, Quezon City, U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman, 1101 Quezon City; Tel. No. (02) 921-39-84; Fax No.: (02) 921-62-05 E-mail: cci@claret.org; Websites: http://www.claretianbpublication.com (Claretian Publications) & http://www.claretphilippines.org (Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines) Claretian HOPE CENTER: Aurora Milestone Tower, 1045 Aurora Blvd., Loyola Heights, Quezon City E-mail: hopecenter07@yahoo.com/hopecenter07@gmail.com