“There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues...” – Luke 21:11

       The Philippines will remember 2013 for the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that flattened Bohol and the strongest ever recorded typhoon Haiyan (“Yolanda”) that ravaged Central Philippines. In other parts of the world, the Midwest US and Ohio Valley were hit by a tornado, Indonesia had a violent volcanic eruption, while the desert kingdom of Riyadh experienced severe flooding.

       What is happening to the world? Is the end near? Environmentalists point to climate change. But doomsayers claim these  events are God’s way of punishing a world gone astray – with war, corruption and widespread acceptance of abortion.

       Nobody knows the time and day of God’s second coming. It will happen according to His time. Instead of ranting about shortcomings, questioning God for the tragedies, and predicting the end of the world, let us channel our energies to doing these things: Let us recognize the strong spirit of humanity and the best of mankind that springs after each tragedy. Let us examine our inner selves about our contributions in making the world a better place, and finally, in preparing ourselves for death and His judgment. Marie Franco (mariefranco_pie@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Do you use the life you were given only to serve yourself or do you responsibly use it to serve God and others?

Spare us, O Lord, from the tragedies in life. And as I am spared, grant me the conscience to uplift those who experience tragedies and trials in life.

St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, pray for us.

The king bestowed Daniel with high honors after he interpreted his first dream. Like all kingdoms, King Nebuchadnezzar’s will rise and fall according to the prevailing balance of power. Everything we build in the world is doomed to pass away except for our relationships. We will carry these with us to eternity as they are the direct result of love.

31 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in  appearance as it stood before you. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze, 33 the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile. 34 While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. 35 The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory; 38 men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else. 41The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, 42 and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”

Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61

R: Give glory and eternal praise to him.

34 [Dan 3:57] “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 35 [Dan 3:58] “Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” 36 [Dan 3:59] “You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 37 [Dan 3:60] “All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R) 38 [Dan 3:61] All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” (R)

Relationships are the only lasting things that we build in this life. This is the greatest challenge of discipleship — trusting that the time spent in building relationships with both friends and enemies is always time well spent. We will never know the effects of a short conversation today on the decisions of another person tomorrow.

Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

5 While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, 6 “All that you see here — the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” 7 Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” 8 He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! 9 When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

think: Relationships are the only lasting things that we build in this life.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Baruch 1-3

LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY WITH YOU

In the First Reading, King Nebuchadnezzar called for Daniel to interpret a dream he had. In a vision, the king saw a statue that is large and bright, very imposing and magnificent in appearance. It was made of gold, silver, bronze and other precious stones. A stone hewn from a mountain suddenly struck the statue at its feet. It crumbled to the ground and broke into several pieces and was blown away by the wind without a trace. And then the stone that struck the statue grew into a mountain and filled the whole earth. Based on Daniel’s interpretation, we learn that the statue represented the king. The stone hewn from the mountain came from God, representing His displeasure over Nebuchadnezzar’s godless kingship. For a king like Nebuchadnezzar, the idea of God taking over is bad news. It signaled the end of his kingship.

       This is what it’s like for the enemies of God — His taking over signals the end. Because they see Him as a rival, as an enemy. That is why they resist Him with all their might.

       But it is quite different with the friends of God. For His friends, God taking over is not the end but actually the beginning of a new and fuller life. Friends of God actually welcome God taking over. Friends of God actually long for Him to take over. Like Paul, friends of God can say with exultation, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). With St. John Paul II, friends of God can declare to God “Totus Tuus,” i.e., “I am all Yours.” Friends of God understand that He is not an enemy and a rival. He is an ally. He is one whose delight is nothing else but the flourishing of those whom He loves. They trust and embrace Jesus’ mission: “I came that they may have life, life to the full” (John 10:10).

       Who will you be like when God wishes to take over, Nebuchadnezzar or a friend of God? Fr. Joel Jason

REFLECTION QUESTION: What area of your life are you afraid to surrender to God’s life-giving reign?

Take, O Lord, and receive, my mind, my will, my memory, my all. Amen.