Daily Readings - Tue Nov 23 2021

³And the king said to them, "I saw a dream, and, being confused in mind, I do not know what I saw.⁹Therefore, if you do not reveal to me the dream, there is only one conclusion to be reached about you, that the interpretation is likewise false, and packed full of deception, so as to speak before me until the time passes away. And so, tell me the dream, so that I will also know that the interpretation that you tell me is likewise true.¹⁰Then the Chaldeans answered before the king, and they said, "There is no man on earth who can accomplish your word, O king. For neither has any king, however great and mighty, asked for an answer of this kind from every seer, and astrologer, and Chaldean²⁷And Daniel, facing the king, answered and said, "The secret that the king seeks, the wise men, the seers, and the soothsayers are unable to reveal to the king³¹You, O king, saw, and behold, something like a great statue. This statue, which was great and high, stood exalted above you, and you considered how terrible it was³²The head of this statue was of the finest gold, but the breast and the arms were of silver, and further on, the belly and the thighs were of brass³³but the shins were of iron, a certain part of the feet were of iron and another part were of clay³⁴And so you looked until a stone was broken off without hands from a mountain, and it struck the statue on its feet, which were of iron and clay, and it shattered them³⁵Then the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and diminished like the ashes of a summer courtyard, and they were quickly taken away by the wind, and no place was found for them; but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth³⁶This is the dream; we will also tell its interpretation before you, O king³⁷You are a king among kings, and the God of heaven has given to you a kingdom, and fortitude, and power, and glory³⁸and all the places wherein the sons of men and the beasts of the field dwell. He has likewise given the flying creatures of the air into your hand, and he has placed all things under your realm. Therefore, you are the head of gold³⁹And after you, another kingdom will rise up, inferior to you, of silver, and another third kingdom of brass, which will rule over the whole world⁴⁰And the fourth kingdom will be like iron. Just as iron shatters and conquers all things, so will it shatter and crush all these⁴¹Furthermore, because you saw the feet and the toes to be part of potter’s clay and part of iron, the kingdom will be divided, but still, from the slip of iron it will take its origin, since you saw the iron mingled with the earthenware from clay⁴²And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part will be crushed⁴³Yet, because you saw the iron mingled with pottery from the earth, they will indeed be combined together with the offspring of man, but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron cannot be mixed with earthenware⁴⁴But in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will inspire a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and his kingdom will not be handed over to another people, and it will crush and will consume all these kingdoms, and this kingdom itself will stand in eternity⁴⁵In accordance with what you saw, because the stone was torn away from the mountain without hands, and it crushed the earthenware, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God has shown the king what will happen after this. And the dream is true, and its interpretation is faithful.

Luke

Chapter 21

⁵And when some of them were saying, about the temple, that it was adorned with excellent stones and gifts, he said⁶"These things that you see, the days will arrive when there will not be left behind stone upon stone, which is not thrown down.⁷Then they questioned him, saying: "Teacher, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things will happen?⁸And he said: "Be cautious, lest you be seduced. For many will come in my name, saying: ‘For I am he,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ And so, do not choose to go after them⁹And when you will have heard of battles and seditions, do not be terrified. These things must happen first. But the end is not so soon.¹⁰Then he said to them: "People will rise up against people, and kingdom against kingdom¹¹And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and pestilences, and famines, and terrors from heaven; and there will be great signs

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound messages about the transient nature of human empires and the enduring promise of God's kingdom. The first reading from Daniel recounts the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, where a magnificent statue, representing successive empires, is toppled by a stone symbolizing God's eternal kingdom. This stone, hewn without human hands, signifies the divine origin and indestructible nature of God's reign. The dream not only forecasts the rise and fall of earthly powers but also assures us of God's ultimate triumph. The Gospel reading from Luke presents Jesus discussing the destruction of the Temple and warning against false messiahs. He cautions His disciples to remain vigilant amidst turmoil and deception, emphasizing that such events, though unsettling, are not immediate signs of the end. Jesus' words remind us that earthly structures, no matter how grand, are impermanent. True security lies not in physical edifices but in unwavering faith in God's plan. These readings converge in their reminder of the impermanence of human achievements and the eternal nature of God's kingdom. They urge us to remain steadfast in our faith, avoiding the allure of false promises and enduring life's challenges with trust in God. As we navigate our own trials, let us build our spiritual foundations on the rock of faith, knowing that while earthly kingdoms may crumble, God's kingdom endures forever. In this, we find our true and lasting hope.