YET, YOU SEEK TO KILL ME…

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92
14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well and good; but if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated.20 And he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.91 Bless him, all who worship the Lord, the God of gods, sing praise to him and give thanks to him, for his mercy endures for ever.”92 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.”95 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

John 8:31-42 

31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?”34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin.35 The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever.
36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did,40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did.41 You do what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

MEDITATION 

THE FIRST READING record the story of three handsome unblemished devout  Hebrew men, who unequivocally refused to submit to worship a golden statue made by Nebuchadnezzar, a foreign king who captured them during a raid, because they were wise, proficient and of royal descent. These men raised the anti when they confidently dismissed the Kings threat that they would die a death by fire, retorting that their God will save them from even a firey death! To be sure, these three devout virtuous men praised and worshiped their God whilst being cast into the furnace and miraculously not a hair on the head was singed by the fire leaving them unscathed.

THE GOSPEL READING: Some Jewish followers of Christ appealed to their Abrahamic progeny, calling into question His teaching that they were not free unless they diligently continue to; execute, live, apply, be faithful, honest-to-goodness, bona fide disciples! With this said Christ remind them that they were taken hostage by foreign kings to the extent that they submitted to fornication, tarnishing their gene pool through elict relationships and the worshipping of false gods making them slaves to sin to the extent that they wish to kill Him!

Each time when you and I contradict the Word of God by committing a greivious sin, we literally stab a sword into Christ’s hands, feet, side and to top it off, we crown Him with a ring of thorns! Unless or untill we submit to Christs teachings as enumerated in Sacred Scripture and validated in the Catechism that call us to be unblemished faithfull disciples who hold fast to the Gospel truth without fear or favor, we shall experience a death by fire. Let us use our moment of grace and make our way to the confessional and become virtuous upright citizens of heaven!

LET US PRAY:Daniel 3:52-56 

52 “Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and to be praised and highly exalted for ever;53 And blessed is thy glorious, holy name and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever;
54 Blessed art thou in the temple of thy holy glory and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever.55 Blessed art thou, who sittest upon cherubim and lookest upon the deeps, and to be praised and highly exalted for ever.56 Blessed art thou upon the throne of thy kingdom and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.