Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
(Daniel 1:1-6.8-20; Luke 21:1-4)
The Book of the Prophet Daniel is an anomaly. It was not written during the time of the
kingdom or during the century following the restoration of Jerusalem. Rather it comes from the second century
before Christ after Alexander the Great conquered Palestine and left for one of
his generals its rule. Also, it is not
so much a book of prophecies as it is a narrative about a young man named
Daniel with the gift of prophecy.
The Greeks tried to force the Jews to change their religious
practices. The writer of Daniel described
his main character as a young man who refused to compromise his religious
tradition. Daniel and his companions would not eat from the pagan’s table. Their diet, which sounds healthy by today’s
standards, included only vegetables, no meat, and water, no wine. Their
resistance showed the people of Israel four hundred years later that fulfilling
the Lord’s commands brings health to both body and soul. In this way they encouraged rejection of the
Greek overlords.
We must do the same.
In many ways our society has largely given itself back to paganism. Young couples commonly choosing to live
together exemplifies this trend. We must
be careful not to show approval of this kind of behavior. We should further practice modesty in our
dress and choice of entertainment.
