Missionary Renegade: The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Meditation: Daniel 5:1

Belshatzar the king gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, and in the presence of the thousand he was drinking wine. 2 While tasting the wine, Belshatzar ordered that the gold and silver vessels which his father N’vukhadnetzar had removed from the temple in Yerushalayim be brought; so that the king, his lords, his wives and his concubines could drink from them. 3 So they brought the gold vessels which had been removed from the sanctuary of the house of God in Yerushalayim; and the king, his lords, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank their wine and praised their gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5 Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the palace wall by the lampstand. When the king saw the palm of the hand that was writing, 6 the king’s face took on a different look. As frightening thoughts rose up within him, his hip joints gave way and his knees started knocking together.

13 Dani’el was brought into the king’s presence. The king said to Dani’el, “Are you Dani’el, one of the exiles from Y’hudah whom the king my father brought out of Y’hudah? 14 I’ve heard about you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have been found to have light, discernment and extraordinary wisdom.

16 However, I’ve heard that you can give interpretations and solve knotty problems. Now if you can read the inscription and tell me what it means, you will be dressed in royal purple, wear a gold chain around your neck and be one of the three men ruling the kingdom.”

17 Dani’el answered the king, “Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else. However, I will read the inscription to the king and tell him what it means.

23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven by having them bring you the vessels from his house; and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them; then you offered praise to your gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone, which can’t see, hear or know anything. Meanwhile, God, who holds your very breath in his hands, and to whom belongs everything you do, you have not glorified. 24 This is why he sent the hand to write this inscription; 25 and the inscription says, ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin.’ [Daniel 5:25 M’ne — a maneh was a coin; Aramaic mena means “to count.” T’kel is Aramaic for shekel, a unit of weight; Aramaic tekilta means “you are weighed.” P’res (an Aramaic noun, plural parsin), is half a maneh; p’ris means “cut up, divided”; Paras is Persia. (The “f” in ufarsin is the Aramaic letter peh, sometimes pronounced “p” and sometimes, “f.”)] 26 This is what it means: ‘M’ne!’ — God has counted up your kingdom and brought it to an end. 27 ‘T’kel’ — you are weighed on the balance-scale and come up short. 28 ‘P’res’ — your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Optional Memorial)
The Spirit of God is in you. (Daniel 5:14)
The legacy of two of the four Elliot siblings is quite astounding. First, there’s Jim, who died a martyr’s death while preaching the gospel in Ecuador. Books have been written and movies produced about him. Then there’s his older brother, Bert, who, in his twenties, moved to Peru as a missionary and stayed there for decades. Less has been written about Bert. One writer, reflecting on the brothers, has called Jim a “meteor” because many know about his missionary endeavors and Bert a “faint star” because his contributions have made fewer headlines.
The prophet Daniel’s story is more like Jim’s than Bert’s—it’s meteoric. Daniel’s adventures are told in Scripture with vivid detail: wondrous signs, a lion’s den, and heroic stands against the Babylonian kings. In today’s first reading, knowing that Daniel can interpret prophecy and that the “Spirit” is “in” him, the Babylonian king consults him after he has seen a mysterious hand writing on a wall (Daniel 5:14). And as he has done numerous times before, Daniel interprets the sign and shows inspiring courage.
Daniel might seem like a “meteor,” but if you called him that to his face, you might be met with a quizzical look. The same could be true for Jim Elliot—and even for Bert if you compared him to a star. None of these men said yes to God so that they could be meteors, stars, or anything in between. All they did was say yes to the only One who really matters, and they tried their best to stay faithful to him.
The Spirit that was with Daniel and with Jim and Bert Elliot is in each of us. What will happen if we say yes to his promptings? We probably won’t end up in a jungle or standing before a powerful king, but we will end up doing great and beautiful things for God. Right where we are, as we are, we will light up the world. Whether as blazing meteors or steady stars, we will shine with the love and grace of the Lord.
“Father, thank you for calling me to serve you. Help me to say yes to your Spirit’s promptings today.” Amen!
(Psalm) Daniel 3:62 Sun and moon, bless the Lord;