Friday of the
Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(Daniel 7: 2-14; Luke21:29-33)
Apocalyptic literature shows God coming to the rescue when
things seem most dire. For many today such
writing seems more cartoonish than the stuff of good drama. Yet it engages
people’s consciousness when they are threatened by a calamity. Apocalyptic writers offer hope to those who have
experienced a long, hard struggle.
The only example of a completely apocalyptic work in the New
Testament is the Book of Revelation.
There faithful Christians are assured victory over their Roman persecutors. In the Old Testament the Book of the Prophet
Daniel is the prime example of the apocalyptic.
It was written in the second century before Christ the wicked Antiochus
IV Epiphanes was oppressing Israel. The book foresees an eventual reversal of
lots. Today’s grotesque passage is apparently
an alternative account of the reading from Daniel heard at mass on Tuesday. The four beasts represent the succession of
empires leading to the everlasting reign of God. The passage foresees God eventually
triumphing over the successive reigns of terror.
Some understand apocalyptic literature as a literal
description of the future. It is better
for us to spiritualize its meaning. We will not face fiercely shaped beasts in the
future. But we will struggle against evil
everyday of our lives. Evil takes the
form of illegitimate desire for pleasure, possessions, or power. As God comes to the rescue in apocalyptic
literature, we beg His help in our struggles.
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