Daily Retreat 04/05/06

2006 Apr 5 Wed: Lenten Weekday/ Vincent Ferrer, p, r, ms

Dn 3: 14-20. 91-92. 95/ Dn 3: 52. 53. 54. 55. 56/ Jn 8: 31-42

From today’s readings: "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent His angel to deliver the servants who trusted in Him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.... Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.... Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin...."

God gives us ourselves and Himself

The thrilling account of the deliverance of Daniel’s companions from the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most vividly memorable texts of the Bible. The youths declare their absolute fidelity to God, and they don’t even insist on His saving them as a condition for their faithfulness. "If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may He save us! But even if He will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up."

God is faithful, and always so, and thus, it is not for us to make our faith in Him dependent on what we think He should do for us! But this happens, for example, when people are attracted to some earthly idol (money, power, prestige) and then, as a condition for remaining faithful to God, they expect to get from God the same crass rewards promised by idol worship!

God never gives us what idols promise in their idle promises, because God gives us, not just ourselves, but also Himself! Therein lies our reason for faithfulness forever to Him alone!