Daily Readings - Tue Nov 28 2017

³he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means. "⁹If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me."¹⁰The astrologers answered the king, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.²⁷Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,³¹"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue-an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.³²The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.³⁴While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.³⁵Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.³⁶"This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.³⁷You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;³⁸in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.³⁹"After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.⁴⁰Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything-and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.⁴¹Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay.⁴²As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.⁴³And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.⁴⁴"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.⁴⁵This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."

Luke

Chapter 21

⁵Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,⁶"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."⁷"Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"⁸He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them.⁹When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."¹⁰Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the fleeting nature of human power and the enduring reality of God’s kingdom. In the first reading from Daniel, we hear the story of a king’s dream and its interpretation. The statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay represents successive kingdoms rising and falling, each weaker than the last. The stone that shatters the statue symbolizes God’s kingdom, which will never be destroyed. Daniel’s vision reminds us that all human empires, no matter how powerful, will pass away, while God’s reign endures forever. This prophecy is not just about the past but also about the future, calling us to trust in God’s plan even when the world around us seems unstable. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the temple, a structure that was the heart of Jewish life and worship. While some marveled at its beauty and grandeur, Jesus warned that even this magnificent building would be reduced to rubble. He also cautioned against false messiahs and the turmoil that would precede the end times. Jesus’ words remind us that true security and hope cannot be found in earthly structures or human achievements. Instead, we are called to remain vigilant and rooted in faith, trusting that God’s plan will ultimately prevail. Both readings challenge us to live with our eyes fixed on what truly lasts. In a world marked by change and uncertainty, we are invited to place our trust in God’s eternal kingdom. This means living with humility, recognizing that all human power and achievement are temporary, and seeking to align our lives with God’s will. As we navigate the ups and downs of life, may we find strength in the knowledge that God’s kingdom is unshakable, and may we strive to live as faithful stewards of the eternal truths He has revealed to us.