Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent
Daniel 3:14-20,91-92,95 | Daniel 3:52-56 | John 8:31-42
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.’ (Daniel 3:16-18)
While riding the train to my client’s office yeaterday, I spied two young Mormon missionaries proselytizing to the folks near me.
This should be interesting, I thought. I wonder how our encounter would go.
They eventually finished with the person next to me, so I quickly prepared an “opening statement”, something along the lines of “Am I saved? Yes, brothers, since the day I was born!”…and then they walked right past me to talk to the fellow commuter on my other side!
I looked down at myself. My crucifix and medallion were still tucked inside my polo T-shirt, invisible to any observer. I’d also finished praying my daily rosary long before they came within line-of-sight, so there was no outward sign I could think of that would cause them to “give up” on me.
Huh. Maybe next time.
Then it hit me: Not so long ago, I would’ve exited the train at the earliest opportunity, just to avoid interacting with missionaries of any sort.
I’ve yet to attain the spiritual confidence of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who faced a grim choice between apostasy and fiery death, but at least I am willing to quietly talk about my own beliefs to anyone willing to listen.
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There’s another reason why the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego resonates with me today. Oddly enough, it has to do with music.
After they were thrown in the furnace, the angel of the Lord arrived to protect them from the intense heat that killed even those who threw them in. They then sang a song of glory and praise to God in Daniel 3:51-90, which Marty Haugen used as inspiration for All You Works of God, and a portion of which forms today’s responsorial psalm.
It’s a song I first learned in college, and we used to sing it at random times around the liturgical year. Though I’ve not sung it in public worship since then, it’s always had a place in my heart, and you can be sure I’ll be singing it in my head come Holy Saturday.
Amen.